WHO Analysis: Ebola Outbreak Actually Began in February, Months Before May Declaration

WHO said on 10 August 2026 that retrospective epidemiological and genomic analysis indicates the Bundibugyo outbreak actually began in February 2026 — roughly three months before it was officially declared on 15 May — with the earliest cases misdiagnosed as malaria and typhoid in a region with limited diagnostic capacity. 'So we are chasing the virus, the virus is ahead of us,' said WHO Africa Regional Director Dr Mohamed Janabi, speaking from Bunia, the outbreak's epicentre. WHO reported 4,200 confirmed cases and at least 1,900 deaths as of the analysis, noting the outbreak is killing people faster than the 2014-2016 West Africa epidemic, which took eight months to reach 1,000 deaths. The finding underscores concerns that earlier surveillance could have shortened the outbreak's trajectory before it spread to five provinces.