Ebola returns in 2026: How the strain without a vaccine that worries Africa and the world is transmitted

Ebola has once again moved to the center of international health alerts. While the world is still dealing with the lessons and aftermath of the COVID-19  pandemic, a new outbreak detected in central Africa has reactivated concern among medical authorities and international agencies due to its rapid spread, high lethality and an additional concern factor: The strain currently involved has no approved vaccines or specific treatments.

The World Health Organization warned that the situation is rapidly evolving and called emergency meetings as international teams try to contain new transmission hotspots.

What exactly is Ebola?

Ebola virus disease is a severe, rare and potentially fatal viral infection caused by a group of viruses belonging to the genus Orthoebolavirus. It was first identified in 1976 during simultaneous outbreaks in Sudan and in what is now the Democratic Republic of the Congo. It is named after the Ebola River, near one of the areas where the first cases were reported.

The disease has varying mortality rates depending on the strain and health care conditions. In some historical outbreaks, lethality reached extremely high levels.

Specialists identified several species of the virus, although three were responsible for large outbreaks:

The current concern revolves around the latter variant: Bundibugyo.

How it is transmitted: One of the most confusing points

Unlike respiratory diseases such as COVID-19, Ebola is not transmitted through the air.

Infection occurs through direct contact with:

It can also spread during medical care without proper equipment or during funeral rituals where there is direct contact with infected deceased persons.

Experts point out that the virus becomes contagious once symptoms appear.

Symptoms: How the disease begins

One of the challenges of Ebola is that its early manifestations can resemble common illnesses.

Initial symptoms usually include:

Subsequently, the following symptoms may appear:

Early treatment greatly increases the chances of survival.

What is happening now?

Global alarm grew again in May 2026 following the appearance of a new outbreak in northeastern Democratic Republic of Congo.

The situation is worrying for several reasons:

The WHO reported that the outbreak began in the Ituri province and geographic spread to other areas was subsequently detected.

Recent reports indicate more than 500 suspected cases and more than a hundred deaths under investigation, although the numbers continue to change as testing and epidemiological surveillance progress.

The problem that worries experts: An unapproved vaccine variant

One of the factors raising international concern is that the current outbreak involves the Bundibugyo strain.

Currently approved vaccines were developed primarily for other variants, especially the Zaire strain. For Bundibugyo there is still no licensed immunization or approved targeted therapies.

This forces the strategy to focus on rapid detection, contact tracing, isolation, intensive medical support and local containment.

For the moment, international experts say pre-qualified vaccines for the Zaire strain "cannot be used in the current response," Anne Ancia, WHO representative in the Democratic Republic of Congo, told AFP.