Overview
- Health authorities say the outbreak has expanded to roughly 82 confirmed cases and about 746–750 suspected cases with 160–177 suspected deaths, a surge that WHO described as still spreading rapidly after its May 22 updates.
- Tests and surveillance initially missed the Bundibugyo species, a rarely seen Ebola type for which standard rapid diagnostics and licensed countermeasures do not exist, allowing the virus to circulate undetected for weeks.
- WHO declared the event a public health emergency of international concern and raised the national risk level to very high while prioritizing two monoclonal antibodies and the antiviral obeldesivir for clinical evaluation.
- Response teams are struggling to contain transmission because contact tracing and testing lag behind infections; ministry data showed follow-up with only about 20–21% of identified contacts on a given day.
- Local authorities have banned wakes and limited gatherings, neighbouring countries have tightened border and screening rules, and researchers at Oxford and others are racing to develop and test a Bundibugyo vaccine, a process that could take months.