Stopping Bundibugyo: The 2026 Ebola Response and the Vaccine Race

Since mid-May 2026, health authorities have been working to control an expanding outbreak of Ebola disease caused by the Bundibugyo virus in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Uganda. The World Health Organization has declared the event a public health emergency of international concern on May 17, 2026, and national teams have been supported by WHO, CDC and other partners. Surveillance and contact tracing have been strengthened, although insecurity and misinformation have slowed response efforts in affected communities.

No licensed vaccines or specific treatments currently exist for Bundibugyo virus, so experimental medical countermeasures are being evaluated and prioritized. The Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI) has backed three vaccine candidates and has pledged rapid funding to accelerate development. WHO has recommended that any use of experimental vaccines or therapeutics occur only in well-designed clinical trials. While some licensed Ebola vaccines protect against a different Ebola species, their protection against Bundibugyo remains uncertain and they are not being broadly used outside research. Research groups including Oxford and Moderna have been named as developers and trials are being organized to assess safety and effectiveness.