EXHIBITION: BOMOKO
50 YEARS OF EBOLA. MOVING FORWARD TOGETHER.
Fifty years ago, an unknown and deadly virus emerged. Today, Ebola continues to affect communities around the world.
With Bomoko, the Institute of Tropical Medicine in Antwerp (ITM) takes you on a journey from the virus's initial discovery in 1976 to the most recent outbreaks in 2026. Step into the fascinating world of viruses and discover how science, collaboration and human resilience have transformed our understanding over the past fifty years.
A story that began in 1976. And is far from over.
About the exhibition
1976. An unknown virus. A thermos flask containing blood samples. And the beginning of an extraordinary scientific journey.
Researchers set out to understand what they were dealing with. They venture into the field, collaborate across borders and search for ways to protect people. What follows is fifty years of outbreaks, new insights, setbacks and scientific breakthroughs.
ITM was involved from the very beginning in 1976 and continues to contribute to Ebola research and outbreak response today. Bomoko brings this story together, from the initial discovery to the questions that researchers are still exploring.
Bomoko means together
Bomoko means 'together' or 'unity' in Lingala. A word that captures the very essence of this exhibition. Because fifty years of Ebola is not the story of a single researcher, institution or country. It is a story of collaboration.
From researchers in laboratories to healthcare workers on the front line. From those working to contain outbreaks to the communities affected by them. And from the first questions raised in 1976 to the ongoing search for better diagnostics, vaccines and treatments.
In Bomoko, discover how knowledge grows when people share experiences, build trust and work together to find solutions.
Fifty years on
Ebola is not a thing of the past. New outbreaks continue to occur, presenting researchers, healthcare workers and communities with fresh challenges time and again.
Much has changed over the past fifty years. Diagnostics have become faster, vaccines and new treatments have been developed, and we have gained a better understanding of how to respond to outbreaks. Yet one lesson runs throughout this story: science alone is not enough. Today, collaboration, trust and strong local healthcare systems remain essential.
That is why Bomoko does more than look back at 1976. The exhibition shows how the lessons learned from fifty years of Ebola can help us better prepare for the epidemics of tomorrow.
Want to discover more? Watch Spillover
How do viruses jump from animals to humans? And how can such an infection develop into a global health crisis?
Find out in Spillover, a documentary that takes you even deeper into the fascinating world of viruses and outbreaks.
The film runs for 52 minutes, starts every hour and is included in your admission ticket for Bomoko. The documentary is shown in English.
Plan your visit
Tickets
Admission prices
Adults: 7 euro
-18 year: free admission
-26/+65: 5 euro
A-card, Museum pass holders, teacher card holders: 5 euro
Duration of your visit
Allow approximately 30 to 60 minutes to explore the exhibition. The documentary Spillover starts every hour and runs for 52 minutes.
Ticket sales start on 19 October.
Opening hours
Tuesday to Friday: 9:30 am – 5:00 pm
First Saturday of every month: 11:00 am – 5:00 pm
The final screening of Spillover starts at 4:00 pm.
Closing days
The exhibition runs from 5 December 2026 until 28 May 2027 and will be closed on the following dates:
24 December 2026 – 2 January 2027
1 May 2027: Labour Day
6 May 2027: Ascension Day
Practical information
Getting here
Exhibition entrance: Nationalestraat 155, 2000 Antwerpen
Plan your journey to ITM via slimnaarantwerpen.be.
Accessibility
Please note that access to the exhibition involves five steps. If you need assistance, our staff will be happy to help.
Language
The exhibition is available in Dutch and English.
News
All news-
Tumaini, a pivotal Phase 2/3 clinical trial, will evaluate vaccine candidates including Ervebo as part of the DRC's outbreak response. There is currently no approved vaccine against Bundibugyo virus. Tumaini aims to close that gap. -
EBO-BOOST-BRIDGE analyses blood samples from over 600 people vaccinated against the Zaire ebolavirus.
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When the current Bundibugyo Ebola outbreak emerged in the Democratic Republic of Congo, researchers at ITM’s partner institute, Institut National de Recherche Biomédicale (INRB), responded immediately. ITM Professor Koen Vercauteren talks about the role of long-term investment in sequencing technologies and scientific partnerships.
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Impact stories
Diary of Isabel
Isabel Brosius, a doctor and researcher with the Tropical Infectious Diseases Unit, takes you behind the scenes of an investigation into an outbreak of Bundibugyo ebolavirus. In her diary, you follow the launch of a study in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, from training sessions and protocols to the first patients. She writes about the science behind an outbreak, but also about everything that happens around it: working across borders and cultures, solving unexpected problems, and balancing the roles of doctor and researcher. Follow Isabel as a research protocol gradually becomes reality, in the midst of an Ebola outbreak. -
Knowledge about the Zaire ebolavirus does not automatically apply to the Bundibugyo virus.
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As health actors rush to curb the ongoing outbreak of the Bundibugyo virus in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), one question risks to remain unanswered: What have we done to earn the trust we assume we will receive from the local communities?
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Since the outbreak began, more than 1,400 people have been infected and more than 430 have died.
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The award celebrates five decades of pioneering work on Ebola and other epidemic threats.
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World View in Nature by Professor of Virology Kevin Ariën
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Articles
Ebola outbreak in the DRC and Uganda
ITM is working closely with Congolese partners -
Press releases
Minister Prévot visits Congolese partners of ITM in fight against mpox and sleeping sickness
Investing in cooperation is investing in a safer future -
Press releases
Does a second shot help? First large-scale comparison of different booster vaccinations against Ebola
Improved immunity and local testing may hasten outbreak containment. -
Dr Daniel Mukadi-Bamuleka recently graduated with a PhD from ITM, and he impressed everyone by appearing on the cover page of the last edition of The Lancet eBioMedicine Discovery Science. This achievement prompted an interview with Dr Mukadi-Bamuleka, a rising star in the field of virology, who now serves as the Director of the newly inaugurated Rodolphe Mérieux Laboratory in Goma, a branch of the National Institute of Biomedical Research (INRB), in the North Kivu Province of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).
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Articles
Ebola outbreak in DR Congo
Travellers to the region must adhere strictly to the travel advice given. -
Prof Muyembe was awarded for his fight against Ebola
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On Saturday (26 May), ITM will send two researchers to Congo to assist its partners in the Ebola outbreak.
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The prize is awarded once every three years and is intended to promote clinical and experimental research in tropical medicine.
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Articles
Maternal and child health post-Ebola
Maternal and child health services have not yet recovered from Ebola -
ITM researchers Guido van der Groen and Peter Piot co-discovered the Ebola virus, which was first studied in Zaire in 1976.
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No significant association between the dose of anti-Ebola virus antibodies administered and mortality.
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8th International Symposium on Filoviruses/58th ITM colloquium in Antwerp
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Articles
Cuban Health Minister visits ITM
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A group of over 30 Guinean alumni of the Institute of Tropical Medicine joined forces
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Articles
Flying in the time of Ebola
Memories of Antwerp - series by journalist-in-residence Diana Wangari
