Dakar: The ongoing Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo and neighbouring Uganda was likely caused by a new transmission of the virus from animals to humans, according to a study published on Monday, which identified a previously unseen variant of the rare Bundibugyo strain of Ebola.Researchers from Congo, Uganda, Belgium and several other countries analysed virus samples from 22 patients in the two countries and found that the outbreak strain is genetically distinct from Bundibugyo Ebola viruses linked to previous outbreaks in 2007 and 2012.The findings, published in the journal Nature Medicine, suggest the outbreak began with a fresh animal-to-human spillover event before spreading between people.The study did not identify the animal source of the outbreak, although Ebola viruses are known to periodically jump from infected animals to humans.Researchers said the genetic analysis also confirmed that Ebola cases detected in Uganda were linked to the wider outbreak in Congo.The authors highlighted the importance of expanding access to disease testing and virus sequencing, saying greater surveillance capacity could help detect future outbreaks earlier and improve containment efforts.There is currently no approved vaccine or treatment for the Bundibugyo strain of Ebola, although several candidate vaccines and therapies remain under development.The outbreak was officially declared on 15 May 2026 and has become one of the most severe Ebola outbreaks on record.According to the latest government figures, the outbreak has resulted in more than 2,000 deaths and 4,381 confirmed cases across the affected region.
