What is the 2026 Ebola outbreak, and how far has it spread?
As of 21 October 2026, an Ebola outbreak that began in eastern Congo in May has also been reported in Uganda, Kenya, France and, on 20 October, Nigeria.
The 2026 Ebola outbreak is an epidemic caused by Bundibugyo ebolavirus, a relative of the virus behind earlier outbreaks, first reported in Ituri Province in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo on 14 May 2026. It is the 17th Ebola outbreak in the DRC. As of 21 October 2026, according to the WHO and the news reports cited here, it has reached seven more Congolese provinces, and cases linked to it have been reported in Uganda, France, Kenya and Nigeria. The WHO declared it a on 17 May 2026.
Bundibugyo virus is named after a district in Uganda, where it was found in 2007 and 2008, and it also caused an outbreak in 2012 in Isiro, DRC. It matters because existing treatments and vaccines are for the . As of October 2026 there is no approved vaccine or medicine specifically for Bundibugyo virus, although several are under investigation, and on 31 July a WHO advisory group authorised a trial of the rVSV-ZEBOV vaccine in the DRC.
The speed has been unusual. On 2 August the WHO noted that this is the second largest outbreak of Ebola disease in history, after the West African epidemic of 2013 to 2016. By 23 August it had reached 5,000 confirmed cases in its first 100 days, against 1,000 in the same time in West Africa. As of 6 October the WHO counted 8,728 confirmed cases and 4,205 confirmed deaths in the DRC, and the true scale is considered likely to exceed the confirmed numbers.
Confirmed cases in the first 100 days
cases
| Cases | |
|---|---|
| West Africa 2013–2016 | 1,000 cases |
| 2026 outbreak | 5,000 cases |
It has also been harder to spot: a study of Bundibugyo patients found bleeding in only about 10 percent, which makes it difficult to diagnose from symptoms alone.
The outbreak has crossed borders. Cases were reported in Kampala, Uganda, which later declared itself free of the virus; in France, after a health worker returned from a humanitarian mission; and in Kenya, which confirmed its first case on 6 October and had recorded nine by 21 October. On 20 October Nigeria confirmed its first case, in Abuja, in a woman who had arrived from Uganda, and 44 of her close contacts were identified for tracing.
Try it
An illustrative model: two growth speeds over 100 days
y = 10 · 1.05ˣ
Challenge · With 10 cases on day 0, compare a growth of 1.05 per day with 1.065. Which of them reaches thousands of cases by day 100?
Quiz me
0/3
Recap
As of 21 October 2026: Bundibugyo virus, declared a PHEIC on 17 May, the second largest Ebola outbreak in history, with cases linked to it in several countries.
💡 A trick to remember it · Same family, different cousin: the keys cut for the Zaire lock were not made for the Bundibugyo one.
Surprising fact · As of October 2026 there is no approved vaccine or medicine specifically for Bundibugyo virus, because existing ones are for the Zaire ebolavirus.
Sources (5)
No source, no claim. Every fact in this lesson (23 claims) cites at least one of these.
- [1]2026 Ebola epidemic · Wikipedia
- [2]Disease Outbreak News: Ebola disease caused by Bundibugyo virus - Democratic Republic of the Congo (8 October 2026) · World Health Organization
- [3]Disease Outbreak News: Ebola disease caused by Bundibugyo virus - Democratic Republic of the Congo (14 August 2026) · World Health Organization
- [4]Nigeria confirms Ebola case as outbreak spreads into western Africa · The Guardian (Associated Press)
- [5]Nigeria confirms Ebola case linked to East Africa · BBC News