Why Bundibugyo Ebola is spreading faster than other strains

Medical workers in protective suits transfer the body of an Ebola victim in Mongbwalu, Ituri province, eastern DRC on May 24, 2026. /XINHUAThe Ebola virus disease was first identified in 1976 after an outbreak in what is now the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).

Since then, different strains of the virus have emerged periodically from animal hosts and infected people in several African countries.

The Bundibugyo virus is the most recently discovered type of Ebola virus. It was identified in Uganda in 2007 and causes death in about 30 per cent of people who contract it.

The current outbreak was confirmed on May 15, 2026, in Ituri Province, eastern DRC.

The Bundibugyo virus, together with the earlier versions of the disease — Ebola virus and Sudan virus — accounts for most large Ebola outbreaks in Africa.

The Ebola virus is the deadliest of the three, where without treatment, up to 90 per cent of cases are fatal.

It caused the 2014–2016 outbreak in West Africa, the largest Ebola outbreak to date, with more than 28,600 cases reported.

The Sudan virus is the second deadliest and causes death in about 50 per cent of people who contract the disease. It has caused several outbreaks in Uganda and near the border between South Sudan and the DRC.

The last Ebola outbreak in the DRC before the May 2026 Bundibugyo outbreak was caused by the Zaire ebolavirus in Kasai Province.

It started on September 4, 2025, and was declared over on December 1, 2025, after causing 53 confirmed cases and 28 deaths.

Of the three Ebola viruses, the Bundibugyo virus has spread across several countries since the outbreak was confirmed on May 15, 2026.

Kenya, Nigeria, Uganda and France have all reported imported cases of Bundibugyo in individuals with a travel history to the DRC, the epicentre of the outbreak.

France recorded an isolated imported case in June involving a doctor returning from the DRC, marking the only known case outside Africa in this transmission chain.

The WHO reports that, as of October 6, 2026, the DRC had recorded 8,728 confirmed cases and 4,205 confirmed deaths, translating to a case fatality ratio of 48.2 per cent.

The total number of cases in Kenya has risen to nine, including relatives and four health workers, with 134 contacts under quarantine.

Uganda, whose outbreak was declared over on August 28, maintains that it has no new cases, despite the Nigerian and Kenyan cases involving individuals who transited through Kampala.

The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention said 44 contacts had been identified and were being monitored as efforts intensified to trace other people who may have been exposed.

Despite is relatively low fatality rate, the rapid spread of the Bundibugyo Ebola outbreak in the DRC is being driven by a combination of factors.

Active conflict and insecurity: Ongoing violence and armed conflict in eastern DRC have disrupted containment efforts, making some areas unsafe for contact tracing.

The conflict has also resulted in hundreds of attacks on health facilities and workers, leaving the country vulnerable to community transmission.

Loss of aid: The dismantling of and withdrawal from foreign aid programmes, including those run by USAID, have severely strained local public health infrastructure and removed key community-level outreach systems.

Lack of approved vaccines and treatments: Unlike the Zaire Ebola strain, the Bundibugyo virus has no approved vaccine or specific licensed treatment. This means the response relies heavily on measures such as isolation, quarantine and infection prevention and control.

Population displacement: Widespread displacement, refugee movements and cross-border travel across multiple provinces, including movements from Ituri, the epicentre, to North Kivu and South Kivu, have helped push the virus into new areas.

The outbreak also originated in active mining and trade areas in Ituri Province, where frequent travel between interconnected communities and across borders creates opportunities for new chains of transmission.

The WHO has advised against restricting travel to or trade with affected countries. Cases beyond the DRC in Kenya, Uganda, Nigeria and France have been linked to travel histories.

Community mistrust: Deep-seated scepticism and mistrust of local authorities and health responders have hampered safe burials and the prompt reporting of symptoms.

Many community members initially turn to self-medication or traditional healers instead of formal health facilities, allowing the virus to spread undetected through households and local markets.

Fear of isolation centres, family separation and social stigma has also led some families to hide sick relatives at home, seeking medical care only days after symptoms begin.

Unsafe burials: Traditional funeral and burial practices in the DRC frequently involve touching, washing or preparing the bodies of deceased people.

When the deceased was infected with Ebola, such contact can expose mourners and others handling the body to the virus, creating another route of transmission.