Research and analysis

Outbreaks under monitoring: week 29 (week ending 19 July 2026)

Updated 23 July 2026

The following signal relates to an ongoing outbreak, with data as of 20 July 2026

Disease or pathogen	Bundibugyo virus disease (BVD)
Location	Multi-country
Status	Update
Reporting date	15 May to 20 July 2026
Summary	On 15 May 2026, an outbreak of Ebola disease caused by Bundibugyo virus was declared in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and Uganda. On 17 May 2026, the World Health Organization (WHO) Director-General determined that the outbreak constitutes a public health emergency of international concern. As of 20 July 2026  (in French), 2,473 confirmed cases and 999 confirmed deaths have been reported in the DRC. This is an increase of 462 confirmed cases and 245 deaths since the last outbreaks under monitoring report. Confirmed cases have been reported in Ituri (2,202 cases), North Kivu (247 cases), Haut-Uele (16 cases), Tshopo (5 cases) and South Kivu (3 cases) provinces.  In Uganda, 20 confirmed cases (including 2 deaths) have been reported as of 20 July 2026. The last case was reported on 21 June 2026. Of the confirmed cases, 15 were imported from the DRC and 5 were secondary cases among contacts. On 16 July 2026, Uganda began a 42-day countdown to declaring their outbreak over, after health authorities discharged the last recovered patient. This is the 17th recorded Ebola disease outbreak in the DRC since the virus was first identified in 1976. The last reported outbreak, in Kasai Province, ended in December 2025. Bundibugyo virus was first identified in 2007 in Bundibugyo district, western Uganda. A second outbreak caused by Bundibugyo virus was reported in DRC in 2012. WHO continues to assess the risk of this event as very high in the DRC, high for Uganda due to cross-border transmission through imported cases and ongoing epidemiological links to the DRC, high for countries with land borders adjoining countries with documented Bundibugyo virus detection, and low for the remaining countries in the African region, and globally. As of 20 July 2026, no imported cases associated with this outbreak have been reported in the UK. Previous experience from the 2014 to 2016 West Africa outbreak suggests a limited importation risk, with only one travel-related case reaching the UK outside of medical evacuations. The risk of the current outbreak to the UK population is assessed as low.
Further information	Ebola: overview, history, origins and transmission Ebola virus disease: clinical management and guidance Ebola and Marburg haemorrhagic fevers: outbreaks and case locations UKHSA blog:  What is Ebola and how does it spread? NaTHNaC country information page: Democratic Republic of the Congo and Uganda

Epidemiological week 29, 13 to 17 July 2026

Disease or pathogen	Chandipura virus
Location	India
Status	New
Reporting date	14 July 2026
Summary	On 14 July 2026, media reported 27 cases of Chandipura virus, including 12 associated deaths, in Gujarat, India, in the past month. Of these, 7 cases and 3 deaths have been confirmed in children. Cases have been reported in the districts of  Gandhinagar, Sabarkantha, Kheda, Aravalli and Panchmahal. In response, health authorities have increased surveillance, screening, vector control activities and implemented awareness campaigns . The increased number of cases coincides with the monsoon season (May to September) in India, which can result in an increase in sandfly activity, which are considered the primary vector of Chandipura virus in Gujarat. Outbreaks of Chandipura virus occur sporadically in India, coinciding with the monsoon season, and mostly affects children aged under 15 years old. Between June and 15 August 2024, an outbreak of Chandipura virus in India resulted in 245 cases, including 82 deaths (case fatality rate of 33%). This was the largest outbreak recorded in India in 20 years. No travel-associated cases of Chandipura virus have been reported in the UK to date. The primary vector (Phlebotomus papatasi) is not established in the UK.
Further information	Acute encephalitis syndrome due to Chandipura virus - India NaTHNaC country information page: India