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The DRC Ebola outbreak keeps growing: what UK travellers need to know

Qurexa Editorial Team5 September 20267 min read 0 0
The DRC Ebola outbreak keeps growing: what UK travellers need to know

What happened

The Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo is now the largest ever recorded in that country, and it is still growing. In an update published on 4 September 2026, the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control reported 6,342 confirmed cases and 3,072 deaths in the DRC as of 2 September. Sixty of the country's 151 health zones are affected. Ituri province is by far the worst hit, with 5,164 cases and 2,342 deaths. North Kivu, Haut-Uélé, Tshopo, Bas-Uélé and South Kivu have also reported cases. Health workers have been badly affected. The National Travel Health Network and Centre, which advises UK travellers, reported 155 confirmed cases among health workers in the DRC with 45 deaths. This outbreak is caused by Bundibugyo virus. That detail matters, and we come back to it below. There have been a small number of cases outside Africa. One case was reported in France in June 2026, in a humanitarian worker. Two people were evacuated to Germany for treatment. A related outbreak in Uganda was declared over on 28 July 2026. On 1 September 2026 the World Health Organization published emergency guidance on the possible use of the licensed Ebola vaccine during Bundibugyo outbreaks. The same day, the UK's Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office announced accelerated funding to help stop the outbreak at source. The FCDO's travel advice for the DRC, last updated on 26 August 2026, advises against all travel to the eastern provinces including Ituri, North Kivu, South Kivu and Haut-Uélé, for reasons that include but are not limited to the outbreak.

Why this matters

Very few people reading this are planning a trip to Ituri province. So why does it matter here? Three reasons. The first is that some people do travel there. Aid workers, health staff, engineers, journalists, missionaries and people visiting family. The UK has a large diaspora with ties to central Africa, and those journeys happen every week. The second is neighbouring countries. Outbreaks do not respect borders, and Uganda had cases before its outbreak was declared over in July. Travellers heading to the wider region should be checking advice for their specific destination, not assuming the DRC is a separate world. The third is that knowing the warning signs matters more than the odds. The risk to an ordinary UK traveller is low. But Ebola is one of the illnesses where acting early makes an enormous difference, both to the person and to everyone around them. It is also worth noting what the WHO has not done. It advises against travel and trade restrictions on affected countries. Restrictions of that sort tend to push movement underground and make outbreaks harder to track, without stopping the disease.

What the evidence actually says

A few things deserve to be stated precisely. The risk to people living in the UK and the EU is very low. That is ECDC's own assessment. Ebola does not spread through the air like flu. It spreads through direct contact with the blood or body fluids of someone who is already ill, or with a body after death, or with contaminated surfaces and materials. A person who is infected but not yet showing symptoms is not infectious. That is a genuinely important difference from respiratory viruses, and it is why airport screening plays a smaller role than people imagine, and contact tracing plays a larger one. The virus type matters a great deal. Most Ebola outbreaks people have heard about were caused by Zaire ebolavirus. This one is Bundibugyo virus. The licensed vaccine, Ervebo, and the approved treatments were developed against Zaire ebolavirus, and there is no licensed vaccine or specific treatment for Bundibugyo. That is why the WHO's guidance published on 1 September is about the potential use of Ervebo in Bundibugyo outbreaks, rather than a straightforward recommendation. Ervebo has also been recommended for use in clinical trials in the DRC, and a treatment trial called PARTNERS began in July 2026. The case fatality ratio in this outbreak has been high. WHO reported it at 46.8 per cent in an August update. Care that supports the body while it fights the virus, given early, meaningfully improves survival. Finally, treat single figures with care. Numbers from an active outbreak in a difficult setting are always provisional, and different agencies report as of different dates. The trend is the reliable part, and the trend is upward.

Practical advice

If you are travelling to the DRC or the wider region, this is the sensible checklist. Check the FCDO travel advice for your exact destination before you book and again before you fly. Advice changes. Travelling against FCDO advice can also invalidate your travel insurance. Check TravelHealthPro, which is the NHS-linked travel health service, for outbreak-specific advice. Buy comprehensive travel insurance that includes medical evacuation, and read what it actually covers. See a travel health clinic or your practice nurse well before you go, ideally six to eight weeks ahead, for routine vaccinations and malaria advice. Malaria remains a far more likely threat to most travellers in the region than Ebola, and its early symptoms look similar. While you are there, avoid contact with anyone who is unwell, avoid funerals and handling of bodies, do not touch wild animals, and do not eat bush meat. Wash your hands often and thoroughly. Practise safer sex, as the virus can persist in body fluids after recovery. After you return, watch your health for 21 days. If you become unwell in that time, with fever, severe headache, muscle pain, sore throat, vomiting, diarrhoea or unexplained bleeding, do not go to A&E or a GP surgery in person. Phone NHS 111 or your GP first, and tell them where you have been and what you may have been exposed to. They will arrange safe assessment. That single step, phoning first, is the most useful thing in this article.

What to know

The DRC's Bundibugyo virus outbreak is the largest ever recorded in the country, with 6,342 confirmed cases and 3,072 deaths as of 2 September 2026, reported in ECDC's update of 4 September. Ituri province accounts for the majority of cases. Sixty of 151 health zones are affected. Uganda's related outbreak was declared over on 28 July 2026. This is Bundibugyo virus, not the Zaire ebolavirus most vaccines and treatments were designed for. There is no licensed vaccine or specific treatment for Bundibugyo, and WHO issued emergency guidance on 1 September 2026 about the possible use of the existing Ervebo vaccine. ECDC assesses the likelihood of infection for people in the EU and EEA as very low. Ebola spreads through direct contact with body fluids, not through the air, and people are not infectious before symptoms start. The FCDO advises against all travel to the eastern provinces of the DRC, and WHO advises against blanket travel and trade restrictions on affected countries. If you have been in an affected area and become unwell within 21 days of returning, phone NHS 111 or your GP rather than turning up in person, and tell them about your travel. Sources: European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control, "Ebola disease outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Uganda", updated 4 September 2026, https://www.ecdc.europa.eu/en/ebola-outbreak-democratic-republic-congo-and-uganda | TravelHealthPro (NaTHNaC), "Ebola disease in DRC and Uganda", 27 August 2026, https://travelhealthpro.org.uk/news/ebola-disease-in-drc-and-uganda | World Health Organization, "Ebola disease caused by Bundibugyo virus - Democratic Republic of the Congo", Disease Outbreak News, August 2026, https://www.who.int/emergencies/disease-outbreak-news/item/2026-DON615 | GOV.UK, "Foreign travel advice: Democratic Republic of the Congo", updated 26 August 2026, https://www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice/democratic-republic-of-the-congo This article is for general information and does not replace advice from a doctor, pharmacist, travel health clinic or other qualified healthcare professional. Always check the latest FCDO and TravelHealthPro advice before you travel, as outbreak situations change quickly.

#Ebola#travel health#DRC#FCDO travel advice#outbreak#returning travellers

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