BDBV Outbreak Surpasses 1,200 Cases — Confirmed Count Rises to 128 as Outbreak Accelerates

By May 28, 2026, the 2026 DRC-Uganda Bundibugyo virus outbreak had surpassed 1,200 total suspected and confirmed cases, a significant acceleration from the 906 suspected cases recorded in WHO Situation Report #2 on May 26. CDC and ECDC tracking data for May 27–28 reported approximately 1,205 total cases (1,077 suspected DRC + 121 confirmed DRC + 7 confirmed Uganda), with total deaths exceeding 264 (including 238 suspected deaths in DRC, 17 confirmed DRC deaths, and 1 confirmed Uganda death). The confirmed case count in DRC rose from 105 to 121 — an increase of 16 new lab-confirmed cases in two days, the fastest 48-hour confirmation rate since the PHEIC declaration. The surge coincides with the Mongbwalu crisis: the 25+ patients who escaped the ETU attacks between May 23–26 are generating a cascading secondary transmission wave in the Mongbwalu community. Of the 25 escaped patients, none had been located or returned to care as of May 28. DRC MoH estimated each escaped patient had generated an average of 12–18 community contacts during their time at large. The Mongbwalu cluster, with 322 suspected cases, remains the largest single-location concentration in any Ebola outbreak outside West Africa 2014 and Kivu 2018–2020. Contact tracing coverage in DRC's affected health zones remained below 45% due to insecurity and population displacement, far below the 80% threshold needed for effective containment. WHO field teams flagged that the outbreak was reaching a critical decision point: if ring vaccination and ETU coverage cannot be re-established in Mongbwalu within the next 7–10 days, epidemic modelers project the total caseload could double to 2,400+ by mid-June.