In brief
As of May 27, the WHO reports at least 900 suspected Ebola cases and 220 deaths in DRC, with seven confirmed cases and one death in Uganda. The Bundibugyo strain has no approved vaccine or treatment.
On May 17, the WHO labelled the outbreak a Public Health Emergency of International Concern, later raising the risk to “very high” for DRC and Uganda.
Only a fraction of over 2,000 identified contacts have been traced. Attacks on health facilities in conflict-ridden eastern DRC are hampering efforts.
The United States, Canada, the Bahamas, Jordan, Bahrain, and others have imposed entry bans or screening requirements for travellers from DRC, Uganda, and South Sudan.
Citing rising exposures among health workers, Uganda ordered its border with Congo shut on May 27 and is monitoring 311 contacts.
A Ugandan woman in Bengaluru is under quarantine for suspected Ebola, marking India’s first possible case since 2014.
- 22 MayWHO raises risk assessment for DRC and Uganda to “very high.”
- 26 MayCanada and Bahamas announce entry bans for residents from DRC, Uganda, South Sudan.
- 27 MayUganda closes border with DRC; India quarantines suspected Ebola case.
A rapidly expanding outbreak
Since mid-May, a Bundibugyo strain Ebola outbreak first detected in Ituri province of DRC has escalated, with the WHO reporting up to 900 suspected cases and 220 deaths. Seven cases, including one fatality, have now been confirmed in neighbouring Uganda. The WHO declared the epidemic a Public Health Emergency of International Concern on May 17, later upgrading the risk to "very high" for DRC and Uganda.
“Eastern DRC now faces a catastrophic collision of disease and conflict, with the Ebola outbreak in Ituri province outpacing the response.”
Contact tracing crisis and funding gaps
Health teams are struggling to locate people exposed to the virus. As of last week, only 7% of over 1,200 identified contacts had been traced, though the number of contacts has since risen above 2,000. Violence in eastern DRC – where hospitals have been attacked and isolation tents burned by angry mobs – makes tracking nearly impossible.
“No vaccine exists. No therapy exists. The virus circulated undetected for six weeks. Cross-border spread is confirmed. Healthcare workers are dying.”
The global response has also been hamstrung by the U.S. withdrawal from the WHO and broader funding cuts, according to multiple health sources. The Bundibugyo strain, for which there are no approved vaccines or treatments, has a case fatality rate of 30% to 50%.
A cascade of travel restrictions
The public health emergency has triggered a wave of border measures. The United States has banned non-citizens who recently visited DRC, Uganda, or South Sudan and extended the ban to green card holders. U.S. passport holders arriving from the region are funnelled through designated airports for CDC screening.
Canada imposed a 90-day entry ban on residents of those three countries, effective Wednesday, and mandates a 21-day quarantine for Canadian citizens and other asymptomatic travellers from affected areas starting May 30. The Bahamas enacted a similar 30-day ban, while Jordan and Bahrain suspended entry from DRC and Uganda, and India launched airport screenings and advised against non-essential travel. India is also monitoring a quarantined Ugandan woman in Bengaluru—its first suspected Ebola case since 2014.
Uganda tightens its own borders
On Wednesday, Uganda closed its border with DRC "with immediate effect", citing rising exposures among its health workers to Congolese patients who crossed before the outbreak was declared on May 15. Health Secretary Diana Atwine noted that the number of exposed locals was climbing because infected health workers had families.
“They have families, and so the number has been growing.”
Uganda had identified 311 contacts for follow-up within its borders.
A volatile landscape
WHO chief Tedros has called for an immediate ceasefire in eastern DRC, warning that mass displacement is pushing contacts into crowded camps and severing containment corridors. The European Centre for Disease Control says the risk to Europe remains "very low", but ten African countries, including Angola, are deemed at high risk. This is DRC's 17th Ebola outbreak since the virus was discovered in 1976.