Uganda confirms 3 new Ebola cases as WHO declares emergency
Three more infections bring Uganda's total to five. The rare Bundibugyo strain has no approved vaccine; WHO has warned 10 neighboring countries face high risk as the outbreak spreads in conflict-hit eastern Congo.
May 23rd 2026 ยท DR Congo
Uganda confirmed three new Ebola cases on Saturday, May 23, bringing its total to five infections and one death since the outbreak was first detected in the Democratic Republic of Congo and Uganda on May 15, the African Union's health agency announced. The World Health Organization has declared the outbreak, caused by the rare Bundibugyo strain, a Public Health Emergency of International Concern and raised the public risk level in the DRC to "very high." The DRC's health ministry reported 82 confirmed cases with seven deaths and nearly 750 suspected cases with 177 suspected deaths, while three Red Cross volunteers in Ituri province died after contracting the virus during body management activities in late March, before the outbreak was officially known. The outbreak is concentrated in conflict-wracked eastern DRC, particularly in Ituri province and South Kivu, where the Rwandan-backed armed group M23 controls territory and state services in rural areas have been largely absent for decades. Africa CDC Director Jean Kaseya warned that 10 additional countries are at risk due to "high mobility and insecurity" in the region, listing Angola, Burundi, Central African Republic, Republic of Congo, Ethiopia, Kenya, Rwanda, South Sudan, Tanzania, and Zambia. An American national working as a surgeon in the DRC has also been confirmed infected and is being treated in isolation in Germany after exposure during a procedure on May 11. The Bundibugyo strain, named after the district in western Uganda where it was first identified in 2007, has no approved vaccines or specific treatments, though scientists at Oxford University are reportedly working on developing a new vaccine that could be ready for clinical trials within two to three months. Previous Bundibugyo outbreaks had case fatality rates of 30 to 50 percent. Uganda has suspended public transport to the DRC, and the scheduled India-Africa Forum Summit was cancelled due to the crisis. The Congolese health minister emphasized at a press conference that "this is everyone's problem" and that Kinshasa needs "total control" of its territory to contain the spread.