The World Health Organization has announced that it could take up to nine months before a vaccine becomes available for the Bundibugyo strain of the Ebola virus, which has recently resurfaced in the Democratic Republic of Congo and Uganda.
The update was provided on May 20, 2026, by Dr. Vasee Moorthy, a senior adviser at WHO, who revealed that two vaccine candidates are currently undergoing testing in efforts to contain the outbreak.
The first known victim of the Bundibugyo Ebola virus died in the city of Bunia on April 24, 2026. However, health authorities only confirmed six weeks later that the death had been caused by the virus.
Speaking during a press briefing in Geneva at the 79th World Health Assembly, held from May 18 to 23, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said the outbreak has already infected more than 600 people and claimed at least 139 lives.
Tedros also disclosed that health officials have identified 51 additional Ebola cases in the Democratic Republic of Congo and two more in Uganda, raising concerns about the continued spread of the disease across the region.
The Bundibugyo strain of Ebola was first detected in Uganda between 2007 and 2008, infecting 149 people and causing 37 deaths. It later resurfaced in 2012 in Isiro, in northeastern DR Congo, where 57 cases and 29 deaths were recorded.
On May 17, 2026, WHO classified the latest Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo and Uganda as a matter of global concern, warning that the situation requires heightened international attention and coordinated response efforts.
Health experts continue to emphasize the importance of surveillance, rapid case detection, contact tracing, and community awareness as the most effective tools for containing the outbreak while vaccine development efforts continue.