Which Countries Have Been Affected by Ebola?

Ebola virus outbreaks have been recorded in more than 10 African countries since the virus was first identified in 1976. The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) has experienced the most outbreaks — 14 since 1976 — due to its geographic location in the Congo Basin rainforest where bat reservoirs are found. The 2014–2016 West Africa epidemic spread to Guinea, Sierra Leone, and Liberia in the largest outbreak in history. Travel-associated cases have reached the USA, UK, Spain, and Italy, but all were contained without onward community spread.

Country	Major Outbreaks	Notable Events
Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC)	14 outbreaks (1976–2022)	Largest single outbreak: 2018–2020 (3,481 cases, 2,299 deaths)
Guinea	2013–2016	Index case of 2014 West Africa epidemic
Sierra Leone	2014–2016	Highest total cases (14,124) in 2014–2016 epidemic
Liberia	2014–2016	First African country to declare Ebola "over" in 2015
Uganda	2000, 2007, 2011, 2012, 2022	2022 outbreak was Sudan ebolavirus — no approved vaccine
Republic of Congo	2001–02, 2003, 2005	Linked to DRC outbreaks
Gabon	1994, 1996, 2001–02	Multiple outbreaks, linked to great apes
Nigeria	2014	Imported from Liberia; contained in 42 days
South Sudan	1976, 1979, 2004	1976 Sudan ebolavirus outbreak (first known)
Ivory Coast	1994	One human case (survived); linked to chimpanzee necropsy

Several countries outside Africa have treated imported Ebola cases without community spread:

USA (2014): Thomas Eric Duncan died; two nurses infected (recovered). Strict isolation and contact tracing prevented further spread.
Spain (2014): One auxiliary nurse infected after caring for an imported case; recovered.
UK (2014, 2021): Imported cases treated in high-level isolation; no onward transmission.
Italy (2015): One imported case; no onward transmission.

These cases demonstrated that Ebola can be managed without community spread in countries with strong healthcare infrastructure and effective isolation measures.

The DRC is located in the Congo Basin rainforest — the natural habitat of the suspected Ebola reservoir species (fruit bats). Population living close to forest ecosystems has regular contact with wildlife. Healthcare infrastructure is limited in most outbreak zones. Active armed conflict in eastern DRC has repeatedly disrupted outbreak response efforts, allowing outbreaks to last longer and affect more people. The country also has the most developed Ebola surveillance capacity in Africa — which may partly explain why outbreaks are detected and reported there more than in neighbouring countries with weaker surveillance.

Is there Ebola in East Africa?: Yes — Uganda has experienced multiple Ebola outbreaks. The 2022 Uganda outbreak involved Sudan ebolavirus, which killed 55 people. DRC's ongoing proximity to Uganda means cross-border spread has occurred previously.
Has Ebola ever been in Asia?: No Ebola outbreaks have occurred in Asia. Reston ebolavirus — which does not cause human disease — has been found in macaque monkeys in the Philippines and was detected in pigs in the Philippines (2008). This virus species has infected humans without causing illness.
Which country has the best Ebola response capacity?: Uganda, Sierra Leone, Liberia, and Guinea have developed significant Ebola response capacity through past outbreaks. The DRC, despite frequent outbreaks, has built substantial response infrastructure with international support. Kenya, Ghana, and Senegal have developed preparedness capacity without experiencing outbreaks.