This list of Ebola outbreaks records the known occurrences of Ebola virus disease, a highly infectious and acutely lethal viral disease that has afflicted humans and animals primarily in equatorial Africa. The pathogens responsible for the disease are the five ebolaviruses recognized by the International Committee on Taxonomy of Viruses: Ebola virus (EBOV), Sudan virus (SUDV), Reston virus (RESTV), Taï Forest virus (TAFV), and Bundibugyo virus (BDBV). Four of the five variants have caused the disease in humans as well as other animals; RESTV has caused clinical symptoms only in non-human primates. RESTV has caused subclinical infections in humans, producing an antibody response but no visual symptoms or disease state manifestations.
Transmission of ebolaviruses between natural reservoirs and humans is rare, and outbreaks of Ebola virus disease are often traceable to a single case where an individual has handled the carcass of a gorilla, chimpanzee, bats, or duiker. The virus then spreads person-to-person, especially within families, in hospitals, and during some mortuary rituals where contact among individuals becomes more likely.
Learning from failed responses, such as during the 2000 outbreak in Uganda, the World Health Organization (WHO) established its Global Outbreak Alert and Response Network, and other public health measures were instituted in areas at high risk. Field laboratories were established to confirm cases, instead of shipping samples to South Africa. Outbreaks are also closely monitored by the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Special Pathogens Branch.
Nigeria was the first country in western Africa to successfully curtail the virus, and its procedures have served as a model for other countries to follow.
Events The information in the following tables comes from the World Health Organization (WHO). This data excludes all laboratory personnel cases, Reston virus cases (since they are all asymptomatic), and suspected cases. For a complete overview, those cases are included below with footnotes and supporting sources.
Major or massive cases
Date Country Virus Human cases Human deaths Case fatality rate Description Jun–Nov 1976 SUDV 284 151 53% Occurred in Nzara (the source town), Maridi, Tumbura, and Juba (cities in present-day South Sudan). The index cases were workers in a cotton factory. The disease was spread by close contact with an acute case, usually from patients to their nurses. Many medical care personnel were infected. Aug 1976 EBOV 318 280 88% Occurred in Yambuku and surrounding areas in what was then Zaire (present-day Democratic Republic of the Congo DRC). It spread through personal contact and by use of contaminated needles and syringes in hospitals and clinics. Aug–Sep 1979 SUDV 34 22 65% Occurred in Nzara and Maridi. This was a recurrent outbreak at the same site as the 1976 Sudan epidemic. EBOV 52 31 60% Occurred in Makokou and gold-mining camps deep in the rainforest along the Ivindo River. Until 1995, the outbreak was incorrectly classified as yellow fever. May–Jul 1995 EBOV 315 254 81% Occurred in Kikwit and surrounding areas. The outbreak was traced to a patient who worked in a forest adjoining the city. The epidemic spread through families and hospital admissions. Jan 1996–Mar 1997 EBOV 91 66 72.53% The first strain occurred in the village of Mayibout 2 and neighboring areas. A chimpanzee found dead in the forest was eaten by villagers hunting for food. Nineteen people involved in the butchery of the animal became ill, and other cases occurred in their family members.
The last strain Occurred in the Booué area with transport of patients to Libreville. The index case-patient was a hunter who lived in a forest timber camp. The disease was spread by close contact with infected persons. A dead chimpanzee found in the forest at the time was determined to be infected. Oct 2000–Jan 2001 SUDV 425 224 53% Occurred in the Gulu, Masindi, and Mbarara districts of Uganda. The three greatest risks associated with Sudan virus infection were attending funerals of case-patients, having contact with case-patients in one's family, and providing medical care to case-patients without using adequate personal protective measures. Victims included Matthew Lukwiya. Oct 2001–Dec 2003 ROC EBOV 302 254 84.11% The first strain Occurred on both sides of the border between Gabon and the Republic of the Congo (RC). This outbreak included the first reported occurrence of Ebola virus disease in the RC.
The second strain Occurred in the districts of Mbomo and Kelle in the Cuvette-Ouest Department.
The third strain Occurred in Mbomo and Mbandza villages, located in Mbomo District in the Cuvette-Ouest Department. Apr–Jun 2004 SUDV 17 7 41% Occurred in Yambio county in Western Equatoria of southern Sudan (present-day South Sudan). This outbreak was concurrent with an outbreak of measles in the same area, and several suspected EVD cases were reclassified later as measles cases. Apr-May 2005 ROC EBOV 12 10 83% Occurred in the Etoumbi district of Cuvette Ouest Department of the Republic of the Congo Aug–Nov 2007 EBOV 264 187 71% Outbreak was declared in September in Luebo and Mweke health zones of the Kasaï-Occidental province. Dec 2007–Jan 2008 BDBV 149 37 25% Occurred in the Bundibugyo District in western Uganda. This was the first identification of the Bundibugyo virus (BDBV). Dec 2008–Feb 2009 DRC EBOV 32 14 45% Occurred in the Mweka and Luebo health zones of the Kasaï-Occidental province. Jun–Aug 2012 SUDV 24 17 71% Occurred in the Kibaale District. Jun–Nov 2012 DRC BDBV 57 29 51% Occurred in the Orientale Province. Dec 2013–Jun 2016 Widespread:Limited and local: EBOV 28,616 11,310 70–71% (general)57–59% (among hospitalized patients) This was the most severe Ebola outbreak in recorded history in regards to both the number of human cases and fatalities. It began in Guéckédou, Guinea, in December 2013 and spread abroad. Flare-ups of the disease continued into 2016, and the outbreak was declared over on 9 June 2016. Aug–Nov 2014 DRC EBOV 66 49 74% Occurred in Équateur province. Outbreak detected 24 August and, as of 28 October 2014, the WHO said that twenty days had passed since the last reported case was discharged and no new contacts were being followed. Declared over on 15 November 2014.May–Jul 2018 DRCEBOV543361%On 8 May 2018, the government of the Democratic Republic of the Congo reported two confirmed cases of Ebola infection in the northwestern town of Bikoro. On 17 May, a case was confirmed in the city of Mbandaka. Health authorities were planning to ring vaccinate with rVSV-ZEBOV, a recently developed experimental Ebola vaccine, to contain the outbreak. The outbreak was ongoing as of 24 June 2018, in 2014 a different area of Equateur province was affected On 24 July 2018 the outbreak was declared over.Aug 2018–Jun 2020Widespread: DRCLimited and local:EBOV3,4702,28066%On 1 August 2018, the Democratic Republic of the Congo Ministry of Health declared an outbreak when 4 individuals tested positive for the Ebola virus. On 11 June 2019, the WHO confirmed that a five-year-old boy in Uganda died after being diagnosed with Ebola. On 25 June 2020, the then second biggest EVD outbreak ever was declared over.May 2020–Nov 2020 DRCEBOV1305542%On 31 May 2020, the DRC Health Minister Eteni Longondo announced an additional Ebola outbreak, separate to the ongoing Kivu Ebola epidemic. The outbreak originated in Équateur province (which was also the location of the 2018 Équateur province Ebola outbreak). By 17 October 2020, the case count was 128 with 53 fatalities.
By 18 November 2020, the World Health Organization and the Congolese government had not received reports of any cases of Ebola in Équateur province or all of the DRC for 42 days. When the outbreak was declared over, there were 130 reported cases and 55 reported fatalities due to the virus.Feb–May 2021EBOV12650%On 6 February 2021, an outbreak was declared in Butembo in the North Kivu province by the Ministry of Public Health of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. By 3 May 2021, the outbreak was declared over.Feb–Jun 2021EBOV231252%First Ebola cases and deaths in the country since 2016. The first cases were confirmed on 14 February 2021, and by 9 April 2021, there were 23 reported cases of the virus, with 12 fatalities and 9 recoveries. Scientists concluded that the likely source of the outbreak was a man who had survived the 2013-2016 West African epidemic but had unknowingly harbored the Ebola virus in his body, eventually transmitting it to somebody in his community, although the first known case of this current outbreak was a female nurse who had died on 28 January 2021. The outbreak was declared over on 19 June 2021.Oct–Dec 2021EBOV11982%On 8 October 2021, the Ministry of Public Health for the Democratic Republic of the Congo reported a new laboratory confirmed case of Ebola virus disease, ten more related cases were later confirmed. On 16 December the outbreak was declared over.Sept 2022–Jan 2023SUDV1647747%On 20 September 2022 an outbreak was declared in Mubende District, Uganda. Seventy-seven people died, with a total of 164 cases detected. The outbreak was declared over in January 2023. Feb–Apr 2025 SUDV 14 429%On 1 February 2025, Uganda confirmed an outbreak. On 6 February CDC released a travel advisory, because of cases in Kampala, Mbale, and Wakiso. By 7 March, 14 cases and four deaths had been confirmed. On 26 April 2025, the Ugandan health ministry declared the end of the outbreak.Aug 2025–Dec 2025 DRCEBOV644367.2%An outbreak of the Zaire ebolavirus (EBOV) was declared by the Ministry of Public Health in Kasai Province on 4 September 2025.May 2026–presentWidespread: DRCLimited and local:BDBV8,3974,04448.2%In May 2026, an epidemic of Bundibugyo virus was reported in the Ituri Province of the Democratic Republic of the Congo and the Rwampara district in Uganda.
Minor or single cases