ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia – As of 18 June 2026, the Bundibugyo Virus Disease outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo and Uganda has reached 952 confirmed cases and 247 deaths. The overall case fatality rate stands at 25.9 percent.
The outbreak continues to be driven primarily by transmission in the Democratic Republic of Congo, which accounts for 933 confirmed cases and 245 deaths. Uganda has reported 19 confirmed cases and two deaths, with no indication of the same level of sustained transmission seen in the DRC.
Ituri Province remains the epicentre of the outbreak, accounting for approximately 91 percent of all confirmed cases. The main hotspots are Bunia, Rwampara and Mongbwalu. North Kivu is also of serious concern because of its high case fatality rate, currently estimated at 58.4 percent, with high mortality reported in several affected health zones.
The outbreak has now affected 34 health zones in the DRC and one district in Uganda. In the DRC, the most affected provinces are Ituri, North Kivu and South Kivu. In Uganda, cases have been reported mainly in Kampala, including imported and locally contracted cases.
Over the latest reporting period, 36 new confirmed cases and 12 deaths were reported. Data reconciliation also added one additional case and 25 deaths from previous reporting periods, underscoring the importance of continued surveillance, investigation and verification.
Response teams continue to scale up coordination, surveillance, case management, infection prevention and control, laboratory testing, points-of-entry screening, risk communication and community engagement. A new laboratory in Aru, Ituri, is now operational, bringing the total number of testing sites to six.
However, the response is facing serious operational pressure. Treatment centres are currently above capacity, with reported bed occupancy at 102 percent and 349 patients admitted across affected health zones. Delays in referral, shortages of vehicles and ambulances, gaps in personal protective equipment, and limited access in some areas continue to affect response operations.
Surveillance and contact tracing also face constraints, including incomplete addresses, delayed investigations and difficulties reaching communities in some affected areas. More than 7,200 contacts have been listed across the two countries.
Community engagement remains central to the response. Response teams are working with community and religious leaders, local authorities, health workers and partners to strengthen trust, support early reporting, improve acceptance of isolation and treatment, and promote safe and dignified burials. Some resistance to household decontamination, post-mortem sampling and isolation continues to be reported in affected areas.
Points-of-entry and points-of-control activities are ongoing. Approximately 80 percent of points of control are operational, screening around 95 percent of travellers. Uganda has introduced a temporary four-week border closure for non-essential travel as part of its public health response.
Africa CDC and partners continue to support the DRC and Uganda in strengthening response operations, including through rapid response teams, laboratory capacity, case management, infection prevention and control, risk communication, community engagement, and cross-border coordination.
Immediate priorities include strengthening community trust, improving surveillance and contact tracing, accelerating deployment of multidisciplinary teams to high-risk areas, addressing infection prevention and control gaps, increasing access to vehicles, ambulances and protective equipment, and ensuring safe access for response teams in conflict-affected areas.
An immediate funding requirement of USD 21.5 million has been identified to address urgent gaps across response pillars.