The World Health Organization reported 808 confirmed cases of Ebola disease caused by Bundibugyo virus (BDBV) in the Democratic Republic of the Congo as of June 14, 2026, with 192 confirmed deaths in the DRC — figures from WHO Disease Outbreak News DON607, published June 13, 2026. In Uganda, 19 confirmed cases and 2 confirmed deaths have been reported as of June 16, with no new cases recorded in Uganda since June 5, according to the same WHO update.

The DRC caseload is concentrated in Ituri Province, which accounts for 738 of the 808 DRC confirmed cases across 20 health zones. North Kivu has recorded 67 confirmed cases across 10 health zones, and South Kivu has reported 3 confirmed cases from one health zone. The outbreak is already the largest Bundibugyo virus disease outbreak on record.

A critical gap: no licensed vaccine for this strain

Unlike the Zaire ebolavirus strain that drove the 2014–2016 West Africa epidemic, BDBV has no licensed vaccine. The two approved Ebola vaccines — including Ervebo (rVSV-ZEBOV) — target Zaire ebolavirus only. On May 28, 2026, WHO issued emergency guidance concluding that current evidence on cross-protection of licensed Ebola vaccines against BDBV is “very limited and insufficient” to support their use in this outbreak. The Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations announced funding on June 1, 2026, to fast-track three BDBV-specific vaccine candidates, but none are yet available for deployment.

In the absence of a BDBV vaccine, response teams are relying on established public health measures: surveillance, contact tracing, clinical management, infection prevention and control, and community engagement. WHO and partners are running clinical trials of MBP134 and REGN3479 for treatment, and obeldesivir for post-exposure prophylaxis among contacts of confirmed or probable cases.

Contact tracing running at half the needed rate

WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said at the June 3, 2026, media briefing that contact tracing was reaching only approximately 45% of contacts in the outbreak zone — less than half of the 90% threshold WHO considers necessary to bring a transmission chain under control. Insecurity, population displacement, and high cross-border mobility in the Ituri region are cited as compounding factors.

Africa CDC Director-General Jean Kaseya warned on June 16, 2026, that if the outbreak is not stopped quickly, “it will be worse than what we had in West Africa and eastern DRC.” The West Africa epidemic of 2014–2016 caused more than 11,000 deaths across Guinea, Sierra Leone, and Liberia, according to WHO historical records. Africa CDC declared the outbreak a Public Health Emergency of Continental Security on May 18, 2026.

Funding and response scale

WHO declared the outbreak a PHEIC on May 17, 2026 — the first time a WHO Director-General has declared a PHEIC before convening an IHR Emergency Committee. The Emergency Committee’s first meeting issued temporary recommendations on May 22, 2026. A joint Africa CDC and WHO continental preparedness and response plan, launched June 5, 2026, requests $518 million from international partners; as of mid-June a $115 million funding gap remains.

WHO had not published DON608 as of publication of this article. The IHR Emergency Committee is expected to reconvene within 90 days of the first meeting under standard PHEIC protocol.