Ebola: Bundibugyo Virus Prompts Heightened Po...
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Although the World Health Organisation has declared the current Ebola outbreak in the DR Congo and Uganda a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC), federal health authorities assess the risk of transmission to Brazil as low. Nevertheless, epidemiological surveillance at international ports and airports has been heightened
Global Context
Outbreak status (DRC & Uganda)
The index case emerged in late April 2026 in a mining zone within the Ituri province in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). Initial detection gaps allowed the virus to spread undetected for several weeks. Regional armed conflict has displaced over 100,000 people, severely hindering contact tracing and localised containment efforts. The virus has since crossed borders into additional DRC provinces and neighbouring Uganda.
Bundibugyo virus (BDBV) characteristics
The current outbreak is driven by the Bundibugyo Ebola virus (BDBV), which has a case fatality rate between 30% and 50% – historically lower than that of the Zaire ebolavirus strain. There are currently no approved vaccines or specific therapeutic treatments available for BDBV. The incubation period ranges from 2 to 21 days. Viral transmission occurs only after symptom onset, via direct contact with infected blood, bodily fluids, or contaminated surfaces.
WHO PHEIC declaration
In May 2026, the World Health Organisation (WHO) formally declared the BDBV outbreak a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC). The WHO explicitly clarified that the situation does not meet the criteria for a global pandemic emergency. International borders remain open, with no widespread travel bans in place.
Brazilian Regulatory Response
Low risk & heightened surveillance protocols
Federal and state health authorities consider the risk to Brazil as low. Nonetheless, the Brazilian National Health Surveillance Agency (ANVISA), the federal port health authority, has issued Normative Instruction IN 448/2026 in alignment with Technical Note 26/2026/SEI/COVIG/GGPAF/DIRE5/ANVISA. These instruments update the mandatory temporary health measures across all national ports, airports and land border crossings.
Mandatory case notification
Ebola is classified as a notifiable disease in Brazil. Under federal laws, any suspected case must be reported immediately – defined strictly as within 24 hours – to the local ANVISA headquarters and the Centre for Strategic Health Surveillance (CIEVS) through the vessel’s local agents.
Legal case definitions
Shipmasters must apply the following criteria from the National Contingency Plan to identify suspected cases:
- Clinical criterion: Acute onset of fever (>38°C) with severe headache, muscle pain, vomiting, diarrhoea, abdominal pain, unexplained bleeding, or an erythematous maculopapular rash on the trunk with fine peeling.
- Epidemiological criterion: Within 21 days prior to symptom onset, the individual has a history of travel to an area with active BDBV transmission, contact with infected biological fluids, or exposure to bats, rodents or primates in endemic regions.
Practical Recommendations
In accordance with ANVISA’s IN 448/2026, Technical Note 26/2026, and Collegiate Board Resolution RDC 932/2024, vessels arriving from abroad must adhere to the following operational recommendations:
- Pre-arrival screening: Masters must order routine body temperature checks and health screenings for all crew and passengers, particularly if the vessel has called at ports in the DR Congo or Uganda within the previous 21 days.
- Accurate MDH submission: Submit a fully completed Maritime Declaration of Health (MDH) in the standard WHO International Health Regulations (IHR 2005) format to ANVISA within mandated legal timeframes before arrival at any Brazilian port.
- Fomite and contact monitoring: All onboard travellers who have had direct contact with a suspected case, or with their fomites (contaminated materials), must be placed under active symptom monitoring for a mandatory period of 21 days.
- Strict biosecurity & PPE: Restrict physical access to isolation areas. Enforce rigorous hand hygiene. Ensure care providers wear full personal protective equipment (PPE), including gloves, fluid-resistant gowns, and face and eye protection.
- Risk assessment activation: Upon detecting a suspected case, the master must immediately coordinate with port health authorities and agents to trigger a formal risk assessment to determine whether local contingency plans must be activated.
- Emergency port notification: Report any suspected illness to the nearest port health authority and local agents using the quickest available communication channels, prior to entering port limits.
- Environmental disinfection: Any cleaning or disinfection of an affected ship must be carried out by accredited local contractors using methods and chemical agents approved by ANVISA.
Detailed international updates can be found on the official WHO Ebola Portal.
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