Uganda has officially been declared Ebola-free after health authorities confirmed that no new cases have been reported for 42 consecutive days, the period required to declare an outbreak over according to World Health Organization (WHO) guidelines.
Health Minister Chris Baryomunsi announced the milestone on July 28, 2026, exactly six weeks after the last Ebola patient was discharged on June 16. This followed the initial outbreak declaration on May 15, which was triggered by cases linked to the neighbouring Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).
Outbreak Details and Response
- Uganda recorded a total of 20 confirmed Ebola cases during the outbreak, with two fatalities.
- Fifteen of the infections were imported from the DRC, while five resulted from local transmission within Uganda.
- The Ministry of Health successfully traced every confirmed case back to the original source, enabling containment of the virus through rigorous surveillance, contact tracing, and quarantine measures.
The ministry highlighted that unlike previous outbreaks, this episode was fully documented from the point of virus introduction to the chain of transmission, which was reconstructed by response teams.
All identified contacts underwent institutional quarantine and completed the mandatory 21-day monitoring period without any further transmission detected. Enhanced surveillance efforts found no unexplained community spread.
Continued Vigilance
While the outbreak is officially over, Ugandan health officials plan to maintain heightened surveillance and preparedness to quickly identify and respond to any future imported Ebola cases, especially given ongoing Ebola activity in neighbouring DRC.
The WHO has supported Uganda throughout the response, assisting with laboratory testing, infection prevention, contact tracing, and case management.
