Uganda declares end to Ebola outbreak

Authorities in Uganda have declared the country free of Ebola, as infections from the viral haemorrhagic disease continue to surge in neighbouring Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).

Ugandan Health ⁠Minister Chris Baryomunsi on Tuesday announced the “successful completion ⁠of the mandatory 42-day monitoring period which begun after the discharge of the last Ugandan national, a locally transmitted patient, on the 16 of June, 2026”.

“Throughout this ⁠period the Ministry of Health maintained intensive surveillance nationwide, and no new Ebola cases have been detected,” Baryomunsi said.

In a later statement on social media, Baryomunsi urged Ugandans “to remain alert” and continue observing public health measures.

Of the 20 confirmed ⁠cases, 18 were discharged while two died from the viral haemorrhagic disease, both of whom ⁠were from the DRC, where a much larger outbreak has been under way since mid-May.

According to the Congolese Ministry of Health, there have been at least 3,262 infections in the DRC, with 1,437 people killed. This is nearly the same as the 2018-2020 outbreak that is the largest ever recorded in the country.

The World Health Organization says the latest Ebola outbreak is the fastest spreading ever recorded, and that its true scale could be two to four times larger than reported data.

The virus strain spreading in the DRC is Bundibugyo, which is the rarest of the four variants of Ebola known to affect humans and currently has no approved vaccines or treatments.

Ebola is a viral haemorrhagic disease that can cause fever, vomiting, diarrhoea and internal bleeding. It spreads through direct contact with the bodily fluids of people who are sick with the virus or who have died from it.