The World Health Organization has declared the Bundibugyo virus Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and Uganda a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC), as case numbers accelerate across the Great Lakes region.
According to WHO Disease Outbreak News published on 30 July 2026, the DRC had recorded 3,605 confirmed cases and 1,587 deaths (a case fatality rate of 44%) since the outbreak began in May. Uganda reported 20 confirmed cases and two deaths before declaring the end of its outbreak on 28 July, 12 days after discharging its last patient. The European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) reported that the first imported case in Europe — a humanitarian worker — was confirmed in France in July, prompting calls for EU member states to strengthen preparedness.
The current epidemic is the fastest-spreading Ebola outbreak ever documented. Africa CDC director-general Jean Kaseya told a health conference in Ghana on 22 July that more than 1,000 people had already died, warning that the world could be facing “the worst outbreak the world has ever documented.” Cases have appeared across five provinces in the DRC, with Ituri the worst affected.
Why it matters
Ebola spreads through close physical contact and exposure to infected bodily fluids. Ongoing armed conflict in the region and weak health infrastructure are hampering detection, treatment and prevention, meaning the true scale of the outbreak likely exceeds confirmed counts. Cross-border movement and the imported European case raise the risk of international spread.
What is being done
WHO and Africa CDC have scaled up support on the ground, expanding surveillance, laboratory testing and isolation capacity. Health authorities are urging travellers to affected areas to observe hygiene precautions and for countries to maintain readiness for rapid detection. ECDC has published practical guidance to improve Ebola preparedness across the EU/EEA.
This is a developing public-health emergency. Readers should rely on official updates from WHO, Africa CDC and national health ministries rather than unverified social-media reports.