Oct. 28, 2026 —

The Democratic Republic of the Congo has reported 9,964 confirmed cases of Ebola disease caused by the Bundibugyo virus, including 4,851 deaths, based on data through Oct. 24, according to the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC), in an update dated Oct. 26.

The ECDC says eight Congolese provinces have been affected since the outbreak began: Ituri, Nord-Kivu, Sud-Kivu, Tshopo, Haut-Uélé, Bas-Uélé, Sud-Ubangi and Nord-Ubangi.

Cases outside Congo

  • Kenya. As of Oct. 25, Kenya had reported nine confirmed cases, including two deaths, all linked to the first case, according to the ECDC. The World Health Organization says that first case was a person who traveled from Congo to Kenya through Uganda.
  • Nigeria. Nigeria confirmed an imported case on Oct. 20 in a patient who had traveled from Uganda, the WHO says. The ECDC says 53 contacts of the patient were identified and that the patient was medically evacuated to Switzerland on Oct. 26.

What health officials say

In its Oct. 23 update, the WHO said "sustained, high-level transmission continues" in Congo and that a high share of deaths happening in communities, rather than treatment centers, "continues to highlight challenges in early case detection and timely access to appropriate care." The WHO says it "advises against any restriction of travel to, or trade with, affected countries."

The ECDC estimates the likelihood of infection for people from Europe living in or traveling to affected areas as low, and as very low for people living in Europe.

The WHO's Africa office says Congolese health authorities have begun vaccinating frontline workers with the ERVEBO vaccine as part of a study, and that "the effectiveness of this vaccine against the Bundibugyo Ebola virus, responsible for the current outbreak, is still under investigation" (WHO Africa).

Those are the facts, directly from the source.

Sources: European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control, Oct. 26, 2026; World Health Organization Disease Outbreak News, Oct. 23, 2026; WHO Regional Office for Africa.

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