Bundibugyo Ebola outbreak DR Congo Uganda 1561 cases 506 deaths no vaccine imported cases Germany France
The Ebola strain now spreading in DR Congo has no approved vaccine and no specific treatment. As of July 5 the WHO counts 1,561 confirmed cases and 506 deaths, plus 20 cases and two deaths in Uganda. Two infected travelers were already evacuated to Germany and France.
The Ebola outbreak spreading through the Democratic Republic of Congo is caused by the Bundibugyo virus, a species for which there is currently no approved vaccine and no specific treatment. As of July 5, 2026, the World Health Organization has recorded 1,561 confirmed cases and 506 deaths in the DRC, with Ituri province accounting for the overwhelming majority: about 1,417 cases and 424 deaths across 24 of its health zones. Neighbouring Uganda has confirmed 20 cases and two deaths, plus a further probable fatality. What sets this outbreak apart from routine reporting is how far it has already travelled. Earlier this year an infected US citizen was medically evacuated to Germany for treatment, and on June 24 a separate imported case was confirmed in France. Both patients caught the virus in affected areas of the DRC and carried it to Europe through ordinary international travel. That pattern shows why containment in central Africa matters well beyond the region: a filovirus with a case fatality ratio near 30 percent does not respect borders once it reaches an airport. Health authorities report that 81.6 percent of identified contacts are currently under follow-up across Ituri and North Kivu, the core of the response effort. With no licensed Bundibugyo vaccine available, contact tracing and isolation remain the main tools responders have. Source: WHO, ECDC, CDC