Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Public Health Science Priorities for the 2026 Ebola Outbreak Caused by Bundibugyo Virus

The ongoing 2026 Ebola outbreak is growing faster than any previous outbreak of Ebola disease. The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) initiated an emergency response on May 17, 2026, to help respond to this outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Incorporating CDC’s principles for public health emergency response, a science agenda was developed during May through July to detail scientific priorities and key questions guiding agency response activities. The science agenda identifies 7 priority areas for CDC: epidemiology, surveillance, and modeling; laboratory diagnostics and genomics; risk communication and community engagement; prevention and mitigation strategies; medical countermeasures; transmission, natural history, and ecology; and situational awareness and preparedness. For each of these priority areas, the agenda provides brief contextual information and articulates scientific questions and considerations. This agenda is intended to shape expectations about where CDC scientific expertise and activities could make impactful public health contributions to the control of this outbreak. Science questions are prioritized for this initial stage of the outbreak and focus on evidence needed for guiding outbreak control activities. Future iterations could incorporate external partner feedback.