Ebola outbreak spreads across Central Africa and further, killing more than 320

The deadly and rapidly spreading Ebola outbreak has killed more than 320 people in the Democratic Republic of Congo and has crossed into Uganda. It has triggered a global health emergency and sparked a frantic international race to contain a strain of the virus that has no approved vaccine or treatment available for patients.

The outbreak was officially declared on May 15, 2026, after a laboratory test confirmed the rare species of Ebola; Bundibugyo was abundant in northeastern DRC as well as Uganda’s capital, Kampala. Following the discovery, the situation has grown detrimental at an alarming speed.

Confirmed cases of the strain have surpassed 1,000 in DRC as of late June, with a combined death toll of over 269 across DRC and Uganda. The World Health Organization announced the largest first-month case total of the Ebola outbreak in history. The outbreak has now spread beyond its original epicenter in Ituri Province into North Kivu and South Kivu, making it the third-largest Ebola outbreak, confirmed by the DRC Health Ministry

This outbreak is particularly dangerous due to the strain being spread. There is no FDA-licensed vaccine to protect the infected against the Bundibugyo virus. The past Ebola vaccine used in previous outbreaks, ERVEBO, was made to combat a different species of the virus entirely, proving to provide no protection to Bundibugyo victims.

The WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanomo Ghebreyesus said that after his second visit to the outbreak zone, he was “worried,” seeing that displacement camps have been affected, with 25 confirmed cases and 14 deaths occurring among camp residents, including four children.

The United States reported that it will be providing $112 million in bilateral assistance for personal protective equipment, training, screening and diagnostics. The United Kingdom will be sending up to $20 million, and the European Union is putting $15 million into supporting response efforts across the DRC and Uganda.

The outbreak has recently reached Europe. France confirmed its first case after a doctor who had been serving on a humanitarian mission in DRC tested positive after returning home.

As of now, the outbreak shows no signs of stopping. WHO’s outbreak response coordinator has publicly warned that the virus is "moving faster than us,” as new health zones are being affected nearly daily.