The ongoing 2026 outbreak of Ebola virus disease caused by Bundibugyo virus (BDBV) in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Uganda has renewed attention to one of the least studied human-pathogenic orthoebolaviruses. Since its discovery in western Uganda in 2007, only two recognised outbreaks of BDBV had been reported, limiting opportunities to define the epidemiology, pathogenesis, diagnosis, clinical spectrum, and optimal management of BDBV or to develop species-specific countermeasures. The current outbreak, declared a Public Health Emergency of International Concern by WHO on May 17, 2026, has also exposed the gap between scientific innovation and operational readiness. Although pan-filovirus diagnostics, investigational vaccines, therapeutics, and adaptive clinical trial platforms are now available, their deployment has been constrained by delayed diagnosis, limited access to species-inclusive diagnostics, insecurity due to conflict, population displacement, and fragile health systems. In this Review, we synthesise evidence on BDBV from its discovery to the current 2026 outbreak, highlighting advances in epidemiology, clinical management, diagnostics, vaccines, therapeutics, and preparedness. More broadly, the outbreak shows that scientific innovation alone is insufficient; its public health impact depends on integrated, species-inclusive systems capable of rapidly detecting, evaluating, and responding to outbreaks caused by any human-pathogenic Orthoebolavirus spp.
The emergence of mpox as a global public health concern demands accurate and efficient molecular diagnostic tools for surveillance and outbreak management. The single-plex mpox virus (MPXV)-specific assays targeting B7R and TNF receptor (G2R) genes are widely used for this purpose. However, single-target approaches are vulnerable to viral mutations and may exhibit variable sensitivity across viral lineages and sample matrices, necessitating complementary assays for confirmation. Hence, we developed a duplex qPCR assay, combining B7R and G2R assay targets, enhancing laboratory efficiency and detection reliability. The analytical performance of the novel duplex assay was evaluated against its single-plex formats using synthetic DNA controls comprising mpox clades I and II sequences. The duplex assay’s utility for detecting MPXV variants was further evaluated using isolates belonging to recent outbreak lineages (Clade IIb and Clade Ib) and 42 environmental samples. The B7R and G2R Generic (G2RG) duplex assay demonstrated comparable performance to their respective single-plex assays when tested against synthetic controls, isolates, and MPXV-positive environmental samples. The newly developed duplex assay potentially serves as a robust molecular tool for MPXV detection in various sample matrices, including challenging environmental matrices such as wastewater. Besides enhancing screening efficiency and reducing cost, the simultaneous detection of two targets ensures detection reliability and thereby reduces the risk of false-negative results even if mutations occur in one of the target regions.
Carmen Koo, J. Griffiths, Eugene Tan et al.· Scientific Reports· 0 citations
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