Overview
- The outbreak has exceeded 11,000 reported cases and about 5,400–5,500 deaths since the World Health Organization declared a public health emergency on May 15, 2026, and Africa CDC says the epidemic is still not under control.
- Surveillance and contact tracing are failing, with Africa CDC reporting that roughly 80% of new infections are detected outside contact lists and more than 65% of deaths occur in the community where care and safe burials are not provided.
- Aid delivery and coordination have faltered, with officials and MSF saying hundreds of millions in pledged funding have not reached hotspots, health workers have gone unpaid for months, and frontline teams lack fuel, equipment and consistent pay.
- Armed conflict and repeated attacks on health workers are blocking access to treatment and surveillance in eastern and rural provinces, and the outbreak has produced confirmed cases in Kenya, Uganda, Nigeria and France.
- There is no licensed vaccine or treatment specific to the Bundibugyo strain, clinical vaccine trials including Tumaini are under way but results are not expected until early 2027, leaving limited immediate biomedical options and prolonged risk for communities.