Democratic Republic of the Congo & Uganda Ebola Bundibugyo Virus Outbreak Situation Report #13
- Emergency Manager's Weekly Report
- Jul 29
- 5 min read
Global Highlights:
· The World Health Organization (WHO) reported on July 27th, that there are 3,682 cases (3,360 confirmed, 321 suspected & 1 probable):
o A total of 1,489 people has died.
o 616 people have recovered.
o In the last 24-hours (as of July 29th), 50 additional people have died.
· On July 23rd, the Africa Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) and the UN Migration Agency (IOM) signed a cooperative agreement that is in effect until 2028:
o The agreement is focused on improving disease surveillance, strengthen health measures at Points of Entries and support early warning systems.
o Another part of the agreement is meant to improve access to primary health care, immunization and disease prevention services for migrants, displaced people and mobile populations.
· The IOM reported that a total of 8.6 million health screenings have been conducted at points of entry and points of control across affected and at-risk countries since the start of the response:
o The IOM supported more than 1.68 million screenings in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), generating 74 alerts and facilitating the verification and referral of suspected cases.
o 6.6 million people have been reached through risk communication and community engagement activities.
o IOM is currently supporting 215 points of entry and points of control across the region, strengthening surveillance, screening, infection prevention and cross-border preparedness efforts.
· The University of Oxford’s Vaccine Group on July 27th announced the start of the phase 1 clinical trial of the ChAdOx1 BDBV vaccine:
o This vaccine was developed by the University of Oxford’s Vaccine Group and Pandemic Sciences Institute.
o The vaccine program is being manufactured by the University's Clinical Bio Manufacturing Facility and the Serum Institute of India (SII).
o SII has manufactured 620,000 doses of the vaccine.
o This trial is being supported through funding from the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations.
Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) Highlights:
· The outbreak has expanded across five provinces. As of July 25th, more than 100 new cases were recorded for the second consecutive day. This indicates that the outbreak is spreading by ongoing transmission.
· The DRC MOH with WHO support as of July 29th have deployed experts to the health zones of Vianda, Poko, and Ganga to bolster preparedness activities.
· The DRC Ministry of Public Health, Hygiene and Social Security (MOH) met with a caucus of national deputies elected from North Kivu on July 22nd. This meeting discussed the ongoing response operations, to include:
o Establishment of treatment centers in Beni and Butembo.
o Strengthening of laboratory capacities.
o Deployment of ambulances to improve patient care.
· The DRC Red Cross Society on July 23rd, accepted the donation of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) from the Christian University of Kinshasa.
· At the Kigonze camp, WHO as of July 26th have strengthened disease transmission prevention efforts:
o This camp is one of the six camps in Bunia and houses over 25,000 people who have fled their homes in the outskirts of Bunia.
o WHO and the DRC MOH have trained community members in infection prevention and control.
· The World Food Programme (WFP) has been providing food assistance to Ebola patients, close contacts of those infected, frontline responders and affected households:
o A total of 160,000 hot meals have been delivered to patients, contacts and frontline workers in 17 treatment and isolation centers.
o Dry food rations have also been provided to 23,000 people in North Kivu, South Kivu and Ituri, including 14,000 people under quarantine with monthly food assistance.
o An additional 36,000 people in affected zones have been reached with general food assistance.
· Security Incidents:
o The WFP has reported two security incidents:
ü An attack affected UNHAS operations in Niania.
ü Community unrest impacted the Bule Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) site.
o On July 29th, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) reported that incidents affecting humanitarian operations rose from 145 in April to 186 in May 2026. This was an increase of 28%.
· WHO has supported public messaging and sharing reliable information between May 25th to June 24th, in the Ituri Province:
o Eight radio spots in local languages were broadcast on 36 community and local radio stations.
o 25 Ebola-related programs, news capsules and testimonies were also produced, while 10 journalists who have been engaged to report on the response, shared reliable information with more than 17,000 people.
o Social media platforms have also been mobilized by the partnership with 15 influencers, each followed by more than 100,000 people.
o 89 items of community feedback were collected and analyzed, while four infodemic bulletins were produced to help response partners better target their interventions.
· On July 24th, the DRC MOH with support from the World Bank received 10 vehicles to support response coordination.
· The ability to transport Ebola responders has been improved through the UN Humanitarian Air Service (UNHAS) as of July 22nd. It is now providing two flights a week from Bunia to Kisangani.
· On July 22nd, the UN Secretary-General appointed Damien Mama as the Deputy Special Representative/Deputy Head of the UN Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUSCO) and the interim Resident Coordinator and Humanitarian Coordinator in the DRC.
Uganda Highlights:
· The national government on July 28th announced the end of the outbreak. No new cases have been reported since June 21st.
· All 836 identified contacts have completed follow-up.
· On July 22nd, the Africa CDC formally requested that the United States remove Uganda from the temporary Ebola-related entry suspension. As of July 29th, the U.S. State Department still has a Level 4 (Do Not Travel) Advisory in place.
Sources:
· West and Central Africa: Latest Events at a glance (21–27 July 2026)
· As Ebola accelerates in eastern DRC, WFP warns food assistance and logistics are critical to containing the outbreak
· Ebola: In Mongbwalu, Force commander reaffirms MONUSCO’s commitment to secure health facilities
· Multi-Country Bundibugyo Ebola Virus Disease Outbreak Situation Report No. 10
· WFP Response to the Ebola Outbreak - External Situation Report (23 July 2026)
· WHO Ebola outbreak - DRC 2026 Website
· OCHA DRC Twitter Page
· U.S State Bureau of Consular Affairs Uganda Travel Advisory
· DRC Ministry of Public Health, Hygiene and Social Security Twitter Page
· DRC Red Cross Society Twitter Page
· WHO African Region Twitter Page
· Africa CDC Twitter Page
· UN Senior Ebola Coordinator Twitter Page
· Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations Twitter Page
Resources
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) on Bundibugyo Virus Disease Vaccines and Therapeutics (New)
Real-time spatiotemporal risk modelling of the Bundibugyo Ebola virus outbreak 2026 (New)
DR of the Congo - Bundibugyo Ebola virus disease outbreak Affected provinces (New)
WHO issues comprehensive guidelines on filovirus disease, including Ebola and Marburg disease
CDC Health Advisory: Ebola Disease Outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Uganda
ECDC, Ebola disease
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