Work

Bundibugyo at the border: The 2026 Ebola outbreak and the case for pre-emptive countermeasure equity

Year: 2026

Type: article

Abstract: The 2026 Ebola outbreak caused by Bundibugyo ebolavirus in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Uganda exposes a persistent structural flaw in global health security: preparedness remains overwhelmingly reactive and pathogen-specific. Despite the $518 million Africa CDC-WHO joint continental plan, no licensed BDBV vaccine or therapeutic is available; a 21-day (three-week) detection delay and cross-border transmission expose inadequate inter-epidemic investment in non-Zaire ebolavirus countermeasures. We argue for sustained, ring-fenced financing, institutionalised cross-border coordination, species-inclusive diagnostics, and real-time genomic data sharing to move African Ebola preparedness from reactive to pre-emptive.

Source: Travel Medicine and Infectious Disease

DOI: 10.1016/j.tmaid.2026.103018

Authors: Adamu Safiyanu Maikifi, Auwal Rabiu Auwal, Abubakar Sunusi Ishak, Abdulrahman Garba Jibo

Institutions: Gombe State University, Chulalongkorn University

Language: English

Topic: Viral Infections and Outbreaks Research

Subfield: Infectious Diseases

Field: Medicine

Domain: Health Sciences

SDGs: Good health and well-being, Partnerships for the goals

Open Access status: gold

Estimated APC paid: $3,710