Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC) related to Bundibugyo virus disease in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Uganda. Implications for the Americas Region - 17 May 2026

Countries: Democratic Republic of the Congo, Uganda, World Source: Pan American Health Organization Please refer to the attached file. Considering the declaration of a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC) within the International Health Regulations (IHR), the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) provides a summary of the recommendations which currently apply to countries in the Americas Region otherwise considered unaffected. Summary of the situation in East Africa On 5 May 2026, the World Health Organization (WHO) was alerted of an outbreak of an unknown disease with a high mortality rate in the Mongbwalu health zone, Ituri Province, Democratic Republic of the Congo, including deaths among health care workers. On 15 May 2026, the National Institute of Biomedical Research in Kinshasa confirmed Bundibugyo virus disease in 8 tested samples. The same day, the Ministry of Health officially declared the country’s 17th Ebola outbreak. As of 15 May 2026, 246 suspected cases and 80 deaths had been reported in three health zones: Rwampara, Mongbwalu, and Bunia. In addition, 24 suspected cases remained in isolation, and unusual clusters of community deaths consistent with Bundibugyo virus disease in Ituri and North Kivu were under investigation. On 15 May 2026, Uganda confirmed an imported case from the Democratic Republic of the Congo in a man who died in Kampala, Uganda. On 16 May 2026, a second imported case was confirmed in Kampala, with no apparent epidemiological link to the initial case. As of the time of this report, no local transmission had been identified in Uganda. On 16 May 2026, the Director-General of WHO determined that Bundibugyo virus disease in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Uganda constitutes a public health emergency of...

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