A deadly ebola relative is surging after years in the shadows

Date: September 19, 2026 Source: Boston University Summary: A growing Bundibugyo virus outbreak is showing how a little-known relative of Ebola can become a major threat when diagnosis and treatment options are limited. Experts warn that preparing only for familiar pathogens could leave the world vulnerable when rare but deadly viruses suddenly reemerge. Share: Facebook Twitter Pinterest LinkedIN Email FULL STORY A rare Ebola relative is surging again, revealing dangerous gaps in how the world prepares for the next deadly outbreak. Credit: Shutterstock A growing outbreak of the rare Bundibugyo virus in the Democratic Republic of Congo is drawing attention to a broader problem in global health: how to prepare for dangerous diseases that appear only rarely but can still cause deadly outbreaks. In a review article published in the New England Journal of Medicine, Boston University professor Nancy Sullivan argues that outbreak preparedness needs to extend beyond the infectious diseases that receive the most attention. A Rare Relative of Ebola Bundibugyo belongs to the filovirus family, the same group of viruses that includes the much better-known Ebola virus. Despite its potential severity, Bundibugyo has been linked to only two previously recognized outbreaks, one in Uganda in 2007 and another in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) in 2012. The current outbreak, however, has already surpassed those earlier events in both its trajectory and scale. According to the WHO, 695 confirmed cases and 138 confirmed deaths had been reported in the DRC and Uganda as of June 11. Sullivan, a professor of biology and virology, immunology & microbiology at Boston University, explains that bringing an outbreak under control depends on several measures working quickly together. These include rapid diagnosis, isolating infected patients, tracing people who may have been exposed, strengthening infection control, and providing supportive medical care. Those steps become much harder when laboratory resources are limited. In settings where testing capacity is scarce, delays in confirming infections can give the virus more time to spread. A Severe Hemorrhagic Fever Bundibugyo can cause a severe form of hemorrhagic fever. Infection can trigger widespread inflammation, damage and failure of the cells lining blood vessels, uncontrolled bleeding, and failure of multiple organs. The virus spreads through direct contact with infected bodily fluids. That creates particular risks for family members, caregivers, and health workers, especially when patients are being treated in hospitals without adequate infection control. The 2026 outbreak was formally recognized after the death of a nurse. Another major challenge is that Bundibugyo can initially resemble several far more common illnesses.