Ebola Bundibugyo in Congo: ECDC counts 5,290 confirmed cases and 2,516 deaths

The epidemiological update from the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control brings the outbreak count in the Democratic Republic of the Congo to 5,290 confirmed cases and 2,516 related deaths. The figure was reported on August 20, 2026 and is updated as of August 19; 837 patients are recorded as hospitalized in isolation (ECDC).

Compared to the previous report, there are 81 new confirmed cases and 40 new deaths. The geographic distribution of new cases is concentrated: 56 from Ituri, 18 from North Kivu, 7 from Haut Uele.

Two counts that do not overlap. Alongside the European figure there is that of the World Health Organization, referring to a different date. The WHO Disease Outbreak News indicated, as of August 12, 2026, 4,686 cumulative confirmed cases — 4,665 in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, 20 in Uganda, one in France — with 2,186 deaths. The two figures should not be subtracted from one another nor presented as a revision: they have different reference dates and geographic scopes.

Source	Data date	Confirmed cases	Deaths
ECDC	August 19, 2026 (DRC)	5,290	2,516
WHO, Disease Outbreak News	August 12, 2026 (DRC, Uganda, France)	4,686	2,186

The Bundibugyo virus outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Uganda was declared a public health emergency of international concern by the WHO on May 17, 2026. The organization stated that the ongoing outbreak has surpassed the 3,317 cases of the 2018-2020 outbreak, becoming the largest ever documented in the country.

Vaccines and treatments. For the Bundibugyo species of the Ebola virus, no approved specific vaccines or treatments exist: this is stated by the WHO on the dedicated emergency page, which specifies that testing continues on candidates described as promising. This is a distinction that must be maintained: candidates under trial are not available tools, and none of the sources used here states otherwise.

The organization also describes a difficult operational context: an ongoing humanitarian crisis, a remote yet densely populated area, insecurity, and strong population and trade movements. In this context, the WHO states it is strengthening surveillance, contact tracing, clinical preparedness, supplies, community engagement, and cross-border preparedness in the two affected countries.

The response at the borders. On August 15, 2026, the WHO and the health authorities of the Central African Republic, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the Republic of the Congo, South Sudan and Uganda strengthened surveillance and information sharing at borders (WHO AFRO). The Central African Republic has deployed a mobile laboratory near the borders with the Democratic Republic of the Congo and South Sudan. In Uganda, the 42-day enhanced monitoring period for the last imported case ends on August 27, 2026, according to the same organization.

The risk for Europe. The ECDC considers the probability of infection to be very low for those living in the European Union and the European Economic Area. This is an assessment by the agency, reported verbatim within its scope: it concerns the probability of exposure for the resident population, nothing else.

What we don’t know. We do not know the date of the next ECDC update nor that of the next WHO Disease Outbreak News; we do not know the number of health workers involved; we do not have an updated case fatality figure calculated by the agency, and we do not derive one by dividing two numbers referring to different dates. The weekly reports from the WHO African Region (Weekly External Situation Report No. 13) remain the reference series for operational detail.

The next dated deadline is August 27: the end, in Uganda, of the 42-day enhanced monitoring period for the last imported case.

Sources: ECDC (epidemiological update), WHO (Disease Outbreak News and emergency page), WHO Africa Region (statement on the cross-border consultation and weekly report).