Key Figures at a Glance (Democratic Republic of the Congo)
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Summary
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Event description
° The Bundibugyo virus disease outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo intensified during the past week, with epidemiological indicators suggesting sustained and increasing transmission.
° The outbreak was characterized by a rising incidence of reported cases, increasing mortality and continued geographic expansion into additional provinces and health zones, indicating ongoing propagation across affected areas.
° Outside the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the epidemiological situation remained unchanged, with no new cases reported in Uganda or France and no evidence of secondary transmission.
° Nevertheless, continued geographic expansion and increasing transmission intensity within the Democratic Republic of the Congo elevate the likelihood of cross-border spread and reinforce the need for sustained regional surveillance, preparedness and response measures.
Democratic Republic of the Congo
° Since the last update of 5 July 2026 (Situation Report #8), the epidemiological situation in the Democratic Republic of the Congo has further deteriorated with sustained transmission and continued geographic expansion.
° An additional 339 confirmed cases and 198 confirmed deaths have been reported, representing increases of 20.9% and 38.0% in cumulative confirmed cases and deaths, respectively.
° The crude case fatality ratio (CFR) among confirmed cases increased from 32.1% to 36.6%, likely reflecting delayed case detection, late presentation for care, and the persistently high proportion of deaths occurring in the community, rather than increased disease severity.
° Geographic spread also continued during the reporting period, with the outbreak expanding from three to five affected provinces following the confirmation of cases in Haut-Uélé and Tshopo provinces.
° The number of affected health zones increased from 36 to 42, with Wamba (Haut-Uélé Province), Ariwara and Boga (Ituri Province), and Lubunga, Makiso-Kisangani, and Mangobo (Tshopo Province) reporting their first confirmed cases.
° Daily reported confirmed cases have continued to increase over the course of the outbreak, although substantial day-to-day variability is observed.
° A log-linear model fitted to the daily incidence data estimates an average daily growth rate of 2.3% (95% CI 2.0% - 2.5%), indicating that the outbreak continues to expand and transmission remains above the threshold required for sustained epidemic expansion.
Figure 1. Epidemic curve showing daily confirmed case incidence and estimated epidemic growth, Democratic Republic of the Congo, 11 May–12 July 2026
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° Despite this continued geographic expansion, recent transmission remains concentrated in a subset of affected areas.
° Of the 42 affected health zones, 33 have reported at least one confirmed case within the past 21 days.
° During this period, 869 confirmed cases and 441 confirmed deaths were reported.
° Ituri Province continues to bear the overwhelming burden of the outbreak, accounting for 775 cases (89.2%) and 382 deaths (86.6%), while the remaining four affected provinces together reported 94 cases (10.8%) and 59 deaths (13.4%).
° In contrast, nine previously affected health zones have now surpassed 21 consecutive days without reporting a confirmed case, suggesting an absence of recent transmission while enhanced surveillance remains in place.
° These include Miti-Murhesa (53 days) in South Kivu Province; Aru (38 days), Aungba (23 days), and Gety (52 days) in Ituri Province; and Goma (48 days), Kalunguta (49 days), Mabalako (29 days), Oicha (26 days), and Vuhovi (31 days) in North Kivu Province.
° The highest levels of recent transmission were recorded in Bunia (207 cases), Rwampara (159), Mongbwalu (92), and Nizi (80) in Ituri Province, reaffirming the Bunia–Rwampara–Mongbwalu transmission corridor while highlighting Nizi as an increasingly important hotspot.
° Transmission also intensified in Mangala (36 cases) and Nia-Nia (33), the latter serving as the epidemiological source of the newly affected provinces of Haut-Uélé and Tshopo.
° In North Kivu Province, Katwa (39 cases) remained the principal hotspot, followed by Butembo (16) and Beni (10).
° Collectively, these health zones accounted for 77.3% of all confirmed cases reported during the past 21 days.
° A similar pattern was observed for mortality. Bunia reported the highest number of confirmed deaths (108), followed by Mongbwalu (71), Rwampara (52), Nizi (30), Katwa (28), Mangala (23), Nyankunde (14), Lita (13), Nia-Nia (11), Beni (8), and Butembo (7).
° Together, these health zones accounted for 365 (82.8%) of the 441 confirmed deaths reported during the same period.
° The confirmation of cases in Haut-Uélé and Tshopo provinces marks a significant geographic expansion of the outbreak beyond its original focus in Ituri and North Kivu.
° Although relatively few cases have been reported in these newly affected provinces, the detection of cases in three health zones in Tshopo, including Makiso-Kisangani in the provincial capital, raises concern because of its large urban population and its role as a major transport hub connecting northeastern DRC with other parts of the country.
° Epidemiological investigations indicate that the cases in Tshopo and Haut-Uélé are linked to transmission originating in Nia-Nia Health Zone in Ituri, suggesting geographic extension of an existing transmission chain rather than the emergence of independent outbreak foci.
° The recent confirmation of the first case in Ariwara Health Zone represents a further northward expansion of the outbreak towards the borders with South Sudan and Uganda, increasing the potential for cross-border spread through frequent population movement and trade.
° The expanding geographic footprint of the outbreak has also continued to pose risks beyond affected communities.
° During the reporting period, a United States humanitarian worker infected with Bundibugyo virus disease while working in the Democratic Republic of the Congo was medically evacuated to a specialized high-level isolation unit at Frankfurt University Hospital, Germany.
° The patient, a logistics staff member with a humanitarian organization supporting the Ebola response in Bunia, Ituri Province, was reported to be in stable condition following early diagnosis and treatment.
° The case highlights the continued occupational risk faced by frontline humanitarian personnel responding to the outbreak.
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° Since the beginning of the outbreak, the Democratic Republic of the Congo has reported 1963 confirmed cases, including 719 confirmed deaths (CFR 36.6%).
° Ituri Province remains the epicentre of the outbreak, accounting for 90.3% (1,772) of all confirmed cases and 84.6% (608) of all reported deaths nationwide.
° The most affected health zones continue to be Bunia (503 cases, 156 deaths), Rwampara (384 cases, 89 deaths), Mongbwalu (329 cases, 171 deaths), Nizi (110 cases, 36 deaths), Nyankunde (97 cases, 23 deaths), Mangala (50 cases, 29 deaths), and Lita (45 cases, 19 deaths), all located in Ituri Province, together with Katwa (71 cases, 47 deaths), Butembo (44 cases, 20 deaths), and Beni (30 cases, 20 deaths) in North Kivu Province. Collectively, these health zones account for approximately 84.7% of all confirmed cases and 84.8% of all confirmed deaths reported nationally.
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° Close contacts, including 7,830 (79.4%) successfully seen during the reporting period. In North Kivu, 2,152 of 2,377 contacts (90.5%) were successfully followed up, while all contacts in South Kivu had completed the required 21-day monitoring period.
° Contact follow-up data for the newly affected provinces of Haut-Uélé and Tshopo were not reported.
° The overall follow-up rate remains below the operational target for effective contact tracing.
° The marked disparity between provinces is of particular concern. While North Kivu achieved a follow-up rate exceeding 90%, Ituri, the epicentre of the outbreak and home to more than 80% of contacts under follow-up, reached only 79.4%. This leaves a substantial number of contacts in the highest transmission setting unreached each day, increasing the risk of undetected infections and sustained community transmission.
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Uganda
° No new confirmed case has been reported in Uganda since the previous update. The most recent confirmed case, reported on 21 June 2026, was identified in a truck driver travelling along the Democratic Republic of the CongoUganda international route.
° Since then, no additional imported or locally acquired cases have been detected and there is no evidence of ongoing transmission.
° As of 12 July 2026, the outbreak remained limited to 21 cases (20 confirmed and one probable), including three deaths (two confirmed and one probable).
° Seventeen patients have recovered and been discharged from care, leaving one confirmed patient currently admitted to a treatment facility.
° Since the onset of the outbreak, 836 contacts were identified. All contacts have successfully completed the required 21-day follow-up period with 6 secondary cases detected, indicating that known transmission chains have been effectively contained.
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France
° No additional Bundibugyo virus disease (BVD) cases have been reported in France since the previous update. No secondary transmission has been identified among the five flight contacts who were placed under precautionary quarantine following exposure to the imported case reported on 24 June 2026.
° Their formal release from follow-up had not been officially announced at the time of reporting.
Risk Assessment
° The overall public health risk in the Democratic Republic of the Congo remains very high, driven by sustained transmission, increasing mortality, and continued geographic expansion from three to five affected provinces.
° Although transmission remains concentrated in Ituri Province, the emergence of new affected health zones in HautUélé and Tshopo highlights the continued potential for spread to previously unaffected areas.
° The increasing crude CFR and the high proportion of community deaths continue to indicate delays in case detection, isolation, and access to clinical care.
° Contact tracing remains below the operational target, particularly in Ituri Province, where follow-up performance is substantially lower than in North Kivu despite accounting for the majority of ongoing transmission.
° Uganda remains at high risk of re-introduction because of the ongoing outbreak in the neighbouring Democratic Republic of the Congo despite reporting no new cases during the reporting period.
° The absence of secondary transmission following the imported case in France demonstrates the effectiveness of rapid public health measures but also underscores the continued risk of international spread through travel.
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