KAMPALA – The Ministry of Health has officially declared Uganda free of the Ebola virus, marking the end of an outbreak first reported in the country in mid-May this year.
Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!The announcement was made by the Minister of Health, Dr. Chris Baryomunsi, on Tuesday while addressing the press at the Uganda Media Centre in Kampala on the country’s current health status.
The declaration follows the successful completion of the mandatory 42-day monitoring period, which began after the discharge of the last Ugandan national, a locally transmitted patient, on June 16, 2026.
Since the confirmation of an imported Ebola case from the struggling neighboring DRC on May 15, 2026, Uganda registered 20 cases, all epidemiologically linked to the initial cross-border transmission.
Breaking the development, Minister Baryomunsi said the response was precise, with health teams tracing the infection to its source, mapping the entry route, and linking every case to the first imported patient.
The Minister added that all contacts were quarantined and monitored for 21 days with no further spread, while intensive surveillance nationwide found no new Ebola cases.
“Uganda’s 2026 Ebola outbreak is over, defeated by swift action, scientific precision, and unwavering vigilance. Uganda has defeated this outbreak because of the strong investments the Government has made over the years in building resilient public health systems,” Minister Baryomunsi said.
Minister Baryomunsi further warned that Ebola remains a regional threat, with the DRC outbreak still evolving and Uganda maintaining high alert at borders and in communities.
He noted that Uganda signed a joint response agreement with the DRC for data sharing and coordinated surveillance, and that efforts will continue to strengthen preparedness, especially in border districts.
“Although Uganda is now Ebola-free, our work does not stop here. We will continue strengthening surveillance, maintaining preparedness across the country, particularly in border districts, and working with neighboring countries,” the Minister added.
Meanwhile, the neighboring DRC has so far recorded 3,262 Ebola cases, with the government confirming in an overnight update that this number is nearly the same as the 2018–2020 outbreak, which is the largest ever recorded in the country.
Data from the Congolese health ministry showed that 1,437 patients have died out of the 3,262 cases, in what officials have said is the fastest Ebola outbreak on record, concentrated in the eastern Ituri province.
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