The Ebola virus disease was first identified in 1976 after an outbreak in what is now the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Since then, different strains of the virus have emerged periodically from an unknown animal that carries them and infected people in several African countries.
The Bundibugyo virus is the most recently discovered type of the Ebola disease. It was discovered 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.
The Bundibugyo virus together with the ealier versions of the disease - Ebola virus and Sudan virus - are the three viruses responsible for most large outbreaks in Africa.
The Ebola virus is the deadliest of the three and without treatment, up to 90 per cent of cases are fatal.
It caused the 2014–2016 outbreak in West Africa, the largest Ebola disease outbreak to date, with more than 28,600 cases reported.
The Sudan virus is the seond deadliest and causes death in about 50 per cent of people who get sick with the disease. This virus caused several outbreaks in Uganda and near the border between South Sudan and DRC.
The last Ebola outbreak in the DRC before the May 2026 Bundibugyo outbreak was a Zaire ebolavirus outbreak declared in Kasai Province.
It started on September 4, 2025 and was declared over on December 1, 2025, causing 53 confirmed cases with 28 deaths.
Of all the three Ebola virus strains, the Bundibugyo is the fastest spreading disease having been detected in five countries since its may 15 outbreak.
Kenya, Nigeria, Uganda and France have all reported imported cases in individuals with a travel history to the DRC, the epicentre of the outbreak.
France: Recorded an isolated imported case in June 2026 in a doctor returning from Congo, marking the only known case outside Africa in this transmission chain
