Provincial Index Case of Bundibugyo Ebolavirus Disease in South Kivu Province, Democratic Republic of Congo, 2026: A Case Report
The ongoing second-largest Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) was caused by contagious Bundibugyo virus (BDBV). So far, seven provinces of the DRC including Bas-Uele, Haut-Uele, Ituri, Nord-Kivu (North Kivu), Sud-Kivu (South Kivu), Sud-Ubangi (South Ubangi), and Tshopo provinces have confirmed cases of BDBV. Here, we report the clinical characteristics of the provincial index case of BDBV 2026 infection in South Kivu, DRC, and provide information about contacts who tested positive for BDBV. Collected clinical specimens tested with Polymerase Chain Reactions confirmed BDBV in the infected index case and its connections.
Authors
- Prince Kaleme
- Wilber Sabiiti (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4742-2791)
- Megan M. Schmidt-Sane (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3669-7527)
- Gustavo Sganzerla Martinez (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7656-0579)
- David J. Kelvin (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7757-9493)
- Anuj Kumar (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5023-7618)
- Mansi Dutt
- Luis Flores-Giron (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0089-4716)
- Alfred Kesheni Bisimwa
- Jean Christian Amini Kabwana
- Nkonzi Pacific
- Akilmali Batumike Igor
- Mbiye Badibanga Rene
- Kasi Lulihoshi Willy
Institutions
- Ministry of Public Health (CD)
- Dalhousie University (CA)
- University of Sassari (IT)
- University of St Andrews (GB)
- Izaak Walton Killam Health Centre (CA)
- Nova Scotia Health Authority (CA)
- Shantou University (CN)
- Shantou University Medical College (CN)
- Canadian Centre for Vaccinology (CA)
- Case Western Reserve University (US)
- Makerere University (UG)
Publication Details
- Journal
- Viruses
- Published
- 2026-10-30
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.3390/v18111204
- Primary Topic
- Viral Infections and Outbreaks Research
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 0.00
Funders
- Li Ka Shing Foundation
- Canadian Institutes of Health Research