Health Minister Chris Baryomunsi confirms the outbreak is over after 42 days without a new case, as Uganda maintains vigilance against cross-border transmission
Uganda has officially ended its 2026 Ebola outbreak after Health Minister Dr Chris Baryomunsi declared the country free of the disease in Kampala on Tuesday, July 28, following 42 days without a new confirmed infection.
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The declaration marks a significant milestone for Uganda, which recorded 20 confirmed cases during the outbreak, including 15 imported infections linked to the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and five secondary cases among contacts and health workers. Eighteen patients recovered, while two people died.
The outbreak was officially declared on May 15 after Uganda detected infections linked to the wider Ebola outbreak in eastern DRC.
Authorities said the transmission into Uganda was traced to cross-border movement, allowing health teams to identify contacts, investigate suspected cases and intensify surveillance before the virus could establish sustained community transmission.
The final confirmed patient, a Congolese national receiving treatment at the Mulago National Referral Isolation Centre, was discharged after recovering and recording two negative tests.
Uganda subsequently entered the internationally recommended 42-day countdown, equivalent to two maximum incubation periods for Bundibugyo virus disease, before the outbreak could be formally declared over.
“Throughout this period the ministry of health maintained intensive surveillance nationwide and no new Ebola cases have been detected,” Dr Baryomunsi said, according to the ministry’s announcement reported by Reuters.
The outcome represents a powerful demonstration of Uganda’s growing capacity to respond to infectious disease threats.
The country has faced several Ebola outbreaks since 2000 and has built considerable experience in case detection, contact tracing, infection prevention and clinical management.
The response to the latest outbreak also benefited from strengthened laboratory and emergency preparedness. Uganda deployed mobile laboratories at Bwera in Kasese and Arua, supported by established laboratories in Kampala and Entebbe, with an integrated sample transportation network designed to deliver results in less than 24 hours.
The Mulago isolation facility was activated within hours of the outbreak declaration, while Uganda’s 146-member Emergency Medical Team, established and trained in 2023 with support from the World Health Organization and the European Union, was deployed rapidly to support the response.
WHO Director-General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus later praised the quality of clinical care provided by the team.
Laboratory investigations also helped authorities establish that the outbreak involved the Bundibugyo virus, a rare Ebola strain for which there is currently no approved vaccine or specific treatment.
Genomic and molecular tools, alongside epidemiological investigations, strengthened efforts to understand the chains of transmission and distinguish imported infections from subsequent secondary cases.
Cross-border cooperation became another central element of the response.
Uganda and the DRC signed a Memorandum of Understanding that led to joint efforts covering cross-border surveillance, contact tracing, case investigation, mobile treatment units, mobile laboratories, referral of suspected and confirmed patients, and coordinated risk communication in border communities.
For Uganda, the end of the outbreak offers reassurance to communities and the wider economy after a period in which the presence of Ebola raised concerns about public health, travel and cross-border commerce.
The relatively contained scale of the outbreak also limited the wider disruption that prolonged epidemics can impose on businesses, tourism, transport and livelihoods.
However, the declaration does not remove the underlying regional risk.
The DRC continues to battle a much larger outbreak, with transmission concentrated in Ituri and other affected areas and complicated by insecurity and difficulties in maintaining contact tracing and health services.
The continuing movement of people across the region means Uganda remains vulnerable to further imported infections.
Ugandan authorities have therefore urged citizens and health workers to remain vigilant, particularly in border districts, and to report suspected Ebola cases promptly through the toll-free number 0800-100-066.
The latest declaration is consequently both a moment of relief and a reminder of the importance of preparedness.
Uganda’s experience shows how early detection, rapid laboratory confirmation, trained response teams, community engagement and cooperation across borders can help prevent an imported health threat from becoming a wider national crisis.
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While the country can now mark the end of the 2026 outbreak, health officials and regional partners are expected to maintain surveillance and readiness as Ebola continues to pose a threat elsewhere in the region.
David Okere is a journalist and contributor to Freelanews.com, covering business, governance, public affairs, and human-interest stories with a commitment to accuracy, balance, and public interest reporting.
