CDC Warns Clinicians and Travelers About Bundibugyo Ebola Outbreak in DRC and Uganda

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued a Health Alert Network Health Advisory on May 19, 2026, warning clinicians and travelers about a new outbreak of Ebola disease in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and Uganda caused by the Bundibugyo virus.

CDC said the Ministry of Health of the DRC confirmed the outbreak on May 15, 2026, in Ituri Province in northeastern DRC, with “a total of 246 suspected cases and 80 deaths” reported as of May 16.

ABC News

CDC reported laboratory analysis by the National Institute of Biomedical Research (INRB) confirmed Bundibugyo virus infection in “8 of 13 samples” collected from suspected cases in Mongbwalu and Rwampara health zones.

In neighboring Uganda, health authorities confirmed Bundibugyo virus disease in “a patient who had traveled from DRC and later died while receiving care,” and CDC said Ugandan authorities activated surveillance, screening, and response measures.

CDC also said the risk of spread to the United States is considered low at this time, while noting that travelers from affected areas in DRC or Uganda could enter the United States.

CNN reported that the World Health Organization declared the Ebola epidemic a “public health emergency of international concern” and that the outbreak was believed by local authorities to have caused more than 130 deaths.

CNN said the United States triggered a public health law to limit entry from the affected region, with the CDC invoking Title 42 “for at least 30 days starting Monday.”

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CNN also described an American working in the DRC who tested positive for Ebola, with the international charity Serge saying “Dr. Peter Stafford” had “tested positive” after “presenting symptoms consistent with the virus.”

The Guardian reported that Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said there had been “at least 500 suspected cases of Ebola and 130 suspected deaths in DRC” since the new outbreak began, and it said Dr Mesfin Teklu Tessema expected current known cases were “the tip of the iceberg.”

The Guardian further reported that scientists from the DRC and Uganda published the genome of the virus online on Monday night, and it quoted David Matthews saying the data suggests a “spillover event” that could be “traced and interrupted.”

CDC said there is currently no Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-licensed or authorized vaccine to protect against Bundibugyo virus infection, even as it described the Ebola vaccine licensed in the United States (ERVEBO®).

The Guardian said the Bundibugyo strain identified as responsible for the current outbreak has no approved vaccine or treatment, and it reported that a WHO technical group was being convened to advise on what tests, vaccines, and treatments could be useful.

UN News reported that WHO’s representative in DRC, Dr Anne Ancia, told reporters in Geneva that there are “more than 500 suspected cases including 130 suspected deaths,” but only “30 cases have been confirmed” so far.

UN News also said the key to containing transmission lies in grassroots work within communities, and it quoted Dr Ancia warning, “If we use coercive measures and the population does not agree, we will see bodies disappear.”

Politico described how the outbreak is already affecting logistics beyond hospitals, saying the DRC national team canceled the Kinshasa leg of pre-World Cup training due to health restrictions while still planning to travel to Europe and then Texas before the tournament begins in June.