14/07/2026 15:29 - Salud
On May 17, 2026, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared that the Ebola outbreak caused by the Bundibugyo virus in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and Uganda constituted a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC). This strain, distinct from the Zaire variant that has caused most previous outbreaks, has no approved vaccine or treatment, making it an extraordinary challenge for global health.
According to data reported on July 9, 2026, there were 1,792 confirmed cases and 625 deaths in the DRC. The WHO described the outbreak as still in an expansion phase, with confirmed cases also in Kampala, the capital of Uganda, in people who traveled from Ituri province in northeastern Congo.
The Bundibugyo virus is one of the six known species of the Ebola virus, first discovered in the eponymous district of Uganda in 2007. Unlike the Zaire strain (the most lethal and studied), Bundibugyo has a lower mortality rate, but still kills approximately one in three infected people. There are no authorized vaccines or approved specific therapies, unlike the Zaire strain, for which monoclonal antibody treatments are already approved.
Ituri province, the epicenter of the outbreak, faces a prolonged humanitarian crisis, insecurity, high population mobility, and a network of informal health centers. These factors, according to the WHO, complicate contact tracing and increase the risk of spread. Additionally, at least four deaths of health workers with symptoms compatible with viral hemorrhagic fever have been reported, raising concerns about transmission in medical centers.
What has most surprised the scientific community is the unprecedented speed with which the clinical trial called Partners was set up. Just six weeks after the WHO emergency declaration, the first patients had already been enrolled. By comparison, during the West Africa Ebola outbreak (2014-2016), which left more than 28,000 cases and 11,000 deaths, it took over a year to start clinical trials.
Professor Amanda Rojek, international principal investigator of the trial and member of the University of Oxford, highlighted that the strong scientific leadership of the National Institute for Biomedical Research (INRB) of the DRC was key. The same Oxford group led the famous Recovery trial during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Partners trial is sponsored by the WHO and funded by Wellcome Trust, FCDO, and UKRI.
| Drug | Type | Developer | Administration |
|---|---|---|---|
| Remdesivir | Antiviral | Gilead Sciences | 10 days intravenous |
| MBP134 | Monoclonal antibody | Mapp Biopharmaceutical | Single IV infusion |
Patients are randomly assigned to receive remdesivir, MBP134, a combination of both, or standard supportive care. The design allows for new treatments to be incorporated if available.
Professor Laurens Liesenborghs, from the Institute of Tropical Medicine in Antwerp, who works on the trial in Ituri, explained that both drugs showed great efficacy in animal models against the Bundibugyo virus. Now it is necessary to confirm if they also reduce mortality in humans.
In previous trials with monoclonal antibodies for the Zaire strain, mortality was reduced from 50% to 35%. Researchers hope to see similar results for Bundibugyo.
The trial will need between 700 and 1,000 patients to yield conclusive results. The WHO confirmed that sufficient donations of both drugs have been received — from Gilead Sciences and the United States government — to cover up to 1,200 patients.
Despite scientific advances, the response on the ground faces serious obstacles. Safe burial teams — responsible for burying the bodies of victims, which are highly contagious — reported lack of payment since May 15, the date they started working. Some suffered physical assaults by distrustful communities.
Bahati John, head of one of the teams in Rwampara, a mining town in Ituri, reported losing a tooth after being attacked by local residents. Ovide Maliabo, the team driver, said that on one occasion they were almost lynched. The DRC government assured that payments were made, but it is unclear if activities fully resumed.
Distrust in authorities, high population mobility, and the closure of the local airport in Bunia — which makes even the supply of cash for payments difficult — further complicate the picture. Approximately 75% of known contacts are being traced, but the gaps are worrying.
Another trial, starting the week of July 13, 2026, will evaluate whether administering obeldesivir (an oral antiviral) to people who were in contact with confirmed cases can prevent the development of the disease. The Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) indicated that this trial needs approximately 18 million dollars, of which only 6 million have been committed so far.
Additionally, on July 14, 2026, it was reported that a 60-year-old American humanitarian worker, infected with the Bundibugyo strain in Bunia, was transferred to Germany to receive treatment at the University Hospital in Frankfurt. The WHO confirmed the transfer. Germany already had previous experience treating an Ebola case in Berlin in May, who successfully recovered.
A notable aspect of the Partners trial is that patients of any age, including pregnant and lactating women, can participate. These groups are usually excluded from medical research for safety reasons, but in the face of a disease with high mortality, the risk-benefit balance changes.
Here the potential benefit is very high because you offer a potentially life-saving treatment to someone who has a high probability of dying, explained Liesenborghs. Ebola causes miscarriages, while animal experiments with these drugs showed no risks for pregnancies.
Professor Yap Boum, head of emergency response at Africa CDC, warned that the danger persists, but offered a hopeful vision: What limits an outbreak is our capacity to provide care, our surveillance capacity, and our capacity to isolate people. These trials will allow us to access a treatment, and when we treat people, we also send a message to the community.
The speed with which the global scientific community has responded to this outbreak marks a before and after in the response to health emergencies. If the results are positive, the world could have for the first time a therapeutic tool against one of the most elusive strains of Ebola, transforming the outlook of a disease that has sown terror in Africa for decades.
Sources: The Guardian | World Health Organization (WHO)
Alfredo S. Quiroga
