By Sohaib Shams
The fastest-spreading Ebola epidemic on record is expanding in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, with cases now reported in Kenya, Nigeria, Uganda and a travel-linked case in France, prompting questions about whether the virus could reach the UK.
Record outbreak in DRC
By October 31, 2026, the DRC had recorded 10,467 cases and 5,103 deaths from the Bundibugyo virus, one of several Ebola virus types. Conflict and a humanitarian crisis have hampered efforts to find cases, treat patients and trace contacts.
Cross-border spread
Large movements of people and goods between affected areas and neighbouring countries have given the virus opportunities to cross borders. Kenya's first confirmed case involved a person who travelled from the DRC through Uganda to Nairobi, while France reported a case in a humanitarian doctor returning from the DRC on June 24.
UK risk assessed
Experts say the virus could reach the UK, as viruses ignore borders and infected individuals can travel far before symptoms appear. However, a virus arriving in a country and spreading through its population are two different things.
Historical UK cases
The UK Health Security Agency has recorded only four Ebola cases in the UK since the virus was first identified in 1976, and none of those patients died.
Different from COVID-19
Comparisons with the recent pandemic can mislead because Ebola and COVID-19 spread in fundamentally different ways. Ebola requires direct contact with bodily fluids, whereas COVID-19 spreads through respiratory droplets.
Symptoms to watch
Ebola symptoms can start between 2 and 21 days after infection and include high temperature, extreme tiredness, headache, vomiting, diarrhoea, stomach pain, skin rash, yellowing of skin and eyes, bleeding from various sites, muscle pain and sore throat.
