The current outbreak moving through the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and crossing the border into Kampala, Uganda, is driven by a rarer relative: the Bundibugyo ebolavirus (BDBV).
For virologists and public health professionals, Bundibugyo presents a distinct and highly concerning challenge.
First: it has been detected quite late, with initial cases probably happening already in mid-April (there was one reported suspected case, a health worker who was probably exposed by treating the first cases, on 24 April) but counter-measures only being initiated in mid-May. This gave the virus plenty of time to spread without being monitored or detained.
Second: there is no vaccine available against this particular strain, which leaves less possibilities to protect the health workers and local populations.
Third: In the recent past, there have been major cuts in the foreign funding aids that supported the health centers and surveillance systems in DRC (and other African countries).
I created this interactive map to visualise the spread of the Ebola infections.
Ebola Virus Disease Situation Map
Descriptive epidemiological data compiled from verified public health registries.
Epidemiological Context
Connecting to database...
The Vaccine Mismatch
It is a misconception that “the Ebola vaccine” protects against all Ebola.
The current licensed frontline vaccine, Ervebo (rVSV-ZEBOV), is a viral vector vaccine designed to display a very specific protein to our immune system: the surface glycoprotein of the Zaire strain. However, the glycoprotein on the surface of the Bundibugyo strain is structurally divergent enough that the antibodies generated by the Zaire vaccine Ervebo cannot neutralise the virus.
Which probably means: our current available Ebola vaccine does not offer cross-protection against Bundibugyo. [1]
When we cannot rely on “ring vaccination” to build an immunological wall around an outbreak, our second most important weapons are
- classic epidemiology,
- rapid diagnostics,
- and, crucially, geographic intelligence.
We have to know exactly where the virus is, and where it is moving.
Putting Data on the Map
Data collection is crucial during an early epidemic. And finding better ways to look at the data helps with seeing the direction the virus is moving into and the velocity of the expansion in the already affected areas.
A static table listing numbers and village names does not tell the whole story.
It is easier to see where help is needed when you can see the proximity of a mining town like Mongbwalu to a major transit hub like Bunia.
That is why I have built a curated Outbreak Dashboard with data that I update daily from reports published on ReliefWeb [3].
I invite you to explore the dashboard above.
A Call to Action for the Research Community
This outbreak is a strong reminder of the urgent need for broadly protective, multivalent filovirus vaccines. We can no longer afford to chase one strain at a time.
In January 2026, the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI) and the EU’s Horizon Europe programme announced up to $26.7 million in funding to back a research consortium developing multivalent vaccines against deadly filoviruses.
If you are part of a research consortium working on filovirus immunogen design or Emerging Infectious Diseases platforms, the funding pathways and global momentum are shifting toward multivalent solutions.
Here is a link to open calls for proposals.
References:
[1] UK Health Security Agency & WHO Guidance on Ebola virus disease: Existing rVSV-ZEBOV vaccines provide high efficacy against Zaire ebolavirus but demonstrate no clinical cross-protection against Sudan strain.
[2] CEPI (Jan 2026). Calls for Proposals. Up to $26.7M awarded under a joint Call for Proposals by CEPI and Horizon Europe to advance AI-assisted, computationally designed multivalent vaccine candidates.
[3] Data for interactive Graphic extracted from current reports from ReliefWeb