On July 28, Ugandan authorities declared the country had successfully brought its Ebola outbreak under control, completing a mandatory 42-day surveillance period after the last patient was discharged on June 16, 2026.
Uganda’s Health Minister Chris Baryomunsi said that during this period, the Ministry maintained nationwide epidemiological surveillance and detected no new infections. Among 20 confirmed Ebola cases in Uganda, 18 patients were discharged while two died—both of whom arrived from the Democratic Republic of Congo, where a much larger outbreak has been ongoing since mid-May.
According to the DRC health ministry, the country has recorded at least 3,262 cases, including 1,437 deaths. That toll is nearly comparable to the 2018–2020 outbreak, the largest ever recorded there.
The World Health Organization has described the DRC outbreak as the fastest-spreading Ebola epidemic to date and estimates the actual scale may be two to four times the reported figures.
The circulating strain in the DRC is Bundibugyo—the rarest of four human Ebola variants—for which no vaccine or specific treatment is yet available. Ebola is a viral hemorrhagic fever causing fever, vomiting, diarrhea and internal bleeding, transmitted through direct contact with the bodily fluids of infected individuals or those who died from the disease.
Following the outbreak declaration, Minister Baryomunsi called on Ugandans to remain vigilant and maintain necessary public health measures.
