Commonground
Senior Moderator
Epidemiological week 44, 26 October to 1 November 2026
| Disease or pathogen | Bundibugyo virus disease (BVD) |
| Location | Multi-country |
| Status | Update |
| Reporting date | 15 May to 1 November 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 WHO Director-General determined that the outbreak constitutes a public health emergency of international concern.The outbreak in DRC remains a public health emergency of international concern as of the latest WHO Emergency Committee meeting, held on 18 August 2026. As of 1 November 2026, 10,532 confirmed cases and 5,126 confirmed deaths have been reported in the DRC. This is an increase of 472 confirmed cases and 239 deaths since the last Outbreaks Under Monitoring report. Cases have been reported in 67 health zones across 8 provinces (Ituri, North Kivu, South Kivu, South-Ubangi, North-Ubangi, Haut-Uele, Bas-Uele and Tshopo). The latest affected health zone is Yakoma, North Ubangi, which borders the Central African Republic. The current contact tracing rate is 84.0%. This has become the largest recorded BVD outbreak and is the second largest Ebola disease outbreak to date. On 6 October 2026, Kenya’s Ministry of Health reported the first confirmed case of BVD in Kenya, imported from the DRC. The case travelled from the DRC to Kampala, Uganda, by road and arrived in Nairobi via a flight on 3 October 2026. Samples from the case tested positive for Ebola Bundibugyo virus. The case was given supportive treatment but died on 5 October 2026. No new cases have been reported in Kenya since 19 October 2026, with the total remaining at 9 confirmed cases including 2 deaths. The second fatal case was reported to be a close family member of the index case. All secondary cases are epidemiologically linked to the initial imported case, and all were identified while in quarantine. According to Kenya’s MoH there is no evidence of transmission outside of this cluster. On 20 October 2026, Nigeria’s Centre for Disease Control reported the first confirmed case of BVD. The case was confirmed in Abuja, in a woman who had recently travelled from Uganda, with transit through Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. The case was later medically evacuated to Switzerlandfor further treatment. No additional cases have been reported, and as of 29 October 2026, 62 contacts have been identified, categorised and followed up. On 27 August 2026, WHO and the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention declared the end of the outbreak in Uganda following no new cases since the last case was discharged from care on 16 July 2026. A total of 20 confirmed cases (including 2 deaths) were reported in Uganda. Of the confirmed cases, 15 were imported from the DRC and 5 were secondary cases among contacts. This is the 17th recorded Ebola disease outbreak in the DRC since the virus was first identified in 1976. 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 countries with land borders adjoining the DRC, and low for the remaining countries in the African region, and globally. 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, Uganda, and Kenya. |
| Disease or pathogen | Avian influenza A(H5N1) |
| Location | United States |
| Status | Update |
| Reporting date | 1 November 2026 |
| Summary | The Yakima County Health District in Washington State, has reported 2 new confirmed human cases of avian influenza A(H5N1) infection. The first case was reported on 31 October 2026 in an individual with underlying health conditions who was hospitalised with severe illness and later died. The second case was reported on 1 November 2026 in an individual who did not experience severe illness and was not hospitalised. Both cases were exposed to infected dairy cattle. A total of 3 human cases of avian influenza A(H5N1) infection have been reported in Yakima County in 2026, all associated with exposure to infected dairy cattle. In response, health authorities are contact tracing individuals who have been in close contact with the cases to monitor them for symptoms. Health authorities assess the risk of avian influenza infection in the general public to be low but note that individuals with close or prolonged contact with infected animals or their environments are at greater risk. According to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, since 2024 up to 15 October 2026, 72 confirmed human cases of avian influenza A(H5) infection have been reported in the US. Of these, 42 cases reported exposure through the commercial agriculture and related operations for dairy cattle herds. |
| Further information | Avian influenza: managing human exposures to incidents in birds or animals NaTHNaC country information page: United States |
| Disease or pathogen | Swine influenza A(H1N1)v |
| Location | Brazil |
| Status | New |
| Reporting date | 30 September 2026 |
| Summary | On 30 September 2026, Brazil reported a confirmed human case of swine influenza A(H1N1)v infection in an adult woman with pre-existing chronic conditions in Santa Catarina. The case experienced the onset of influenza-like illness on 16 July 2026 and sought medical care on 20 July 2026. The case was hospitalised on 27 July and received treatment, including oseltamivir, and intensive care including ventilatory support. The individual later died on 28 August 2026. A nasopharyngeal sample collected on 29 July 2026 tested positive for influenza A on 30 July 2026 and was subtyped as influenza A(H1N1) on 31 July 2026. On 4 September 2026, genomic analysis of the sample identified influenza A(H1N1)v. Members of the case’s household, 4 adult individuals, also experienced influenza-like illness. They were diagnosed with a viral infection based on clinical examination and received treatment. Epidemiological investigations found that the case had no travel history or direct contact with swine, however, may have had indirect exposure to swine through a neighbour who raises swine for personal consumption. The public health risk from current known influenza A viruses detected at the human-animal interface is assessed as low by WHO. Sustained human-to-human transmission of these viruses is currently considered unlikely. |
| Further information | Influenza (avian and other zoonotic) Factsheet on swine influenza in humans and pigs NaTHNaC country information page: Brazil |
