Assessment of Risk to the U.S. Population from the Ebola Disease Outbreak Caused by Bundibugyo Virus, 2026.

Abstract

On May 15, 2026, the ministries of health in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Uganda declared outbreaks of Bundibugyo virus disease (BVD), a type of Ebola disease. In response to reports of high numbers of suspected cases and deaths in the affected countries, CDC assessed the risk posed by the BVD outbreak to the U.S. population during the next 3 months. This analysis used a standardized risk assessment approach that included epidemiologic data from the ongoing outbreak and historical data from previous Ebola outbreaks; the overall risk was determined by taking into account independent assessments of the likelihood of infection and the impact of infection. The assessment found that the overall risk to the U.S. population posed by the current BVD outbreak during the next 3 months is low, based on the extremely low likelihood of transmission, despite the high impact that potential infection could have and the resources that would be required to respond to the outbreak. Limitations to this assessment included uncertainties around the epidemiology of BVD as well as the current and future scope and geographic spread of the outbreak. CDC continues to monitor factors that could change this risk assessment.