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Ebola death toll in DRC and Uganda exceeds 1,000, according to WHO
Herz — World Desk · · 30s summary · 2 min read
The essentials
The World Health Organization (WHO) announced on July 22, 2026, that the Ebola epidemic had caused over 1,000 deaths in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and Uganda. First reported in May 2026 in Mongbwalu, located in Ituri Province (eastern DRC), the epidemic is caused by the Bundibugyo strain of Ebola virus and has spread to North Kivu and South Kivu provinces, as well as Kampala, Uganda's capital. On July 21, 2026, WHO official Thierno Baldé warned that the international health response was struggling to keep pace with the virus's spread.
- Over 1,000 deaths confirmed by WHO as of July 22, 2026 in DRC and Uganda
- Epidemic began in Mongbwalu, Ituri Province (DRC), in May 2026
- Spread to North Kivu, South Kivu provinces, and to Kampala, Uganda's capital
- WHO acknowledges that the health response is failing to contain the virus's progression
What we know
The World Health Organization (WHO) announced on July 22, 2026, that the Ebola epidemic's death toll had exceeded 1,000 in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and Uganda.
The epidemic is caused by the Bundibugyo strain, a variant of Ebola virus associated with major outbreaks in Africa. Transmission occurs primarily through direct contact with biological fluids from an infected person. The epidemic was first reported in May 2026 in Mongbwalu, located in Ituri Province — a province in the DRC created in 2015 following the dissolution of the Oriental Province, which borders Uganda and South Sudan.
Imported cases subsequently reached the Congolese provinces of North Kivu and South Kivu, as well as Kampala, Uganda's capital, marking a cross-border extension of the initial outbreak.
The epidemic is outpacing us, and we remain in a phase of attempting to catch up with its progression.
— Thierno Baldé, WHO official, July 21, 2026
Timeline
- May 2026Ebola (Bundibugyo strain) outbreak reported in Mongbwalu, Ituri Province, eastern DRC.
- After May 2026Imported cases confirmed in North Kivu and South Kivu provinces (DRC), as well as in Kampala, Uganda's capital.
- July 21, 2026Thierno Baldé (WHO) states that the epidemic is outpacing health response teams.
- July 22, 2026WHO announces that the epidemic's death toll exceeds 1,000 in DRC and Uganda.
The figures
> 1,000
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