Uganda declares end to latest Ebola outbreak after 42 days without new cases

Uganda’s health minister on Tuesday declared the country free of Ebola, marking the end of the East African nation’s latest outbreak of the deadly viral haemorrhagic disease after health authorities completed the World Health Organization’s mandatory 42-day monitoring period without detecting any new infections.

The outbreak, which was declared in mid-May, infected 20 people and claimed two lives. Health officials said Uganda’s swift response, strengthened by years of experience managing previous Ebola outbreaks, helped contain the virus and prevent widespread community transmission.

Health Minister Chris Baryomunsi said the declaration followed the successful completion of the surveillance period that began after the discharge of the last locally transmitted Ugandan Ebola patient.

“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 16 June, 2026, means Uganda has officially ended this Ebola outbreak,” Baryomunsi said in a statement.

The last Ebola patient in the country, a Congolese national, was discharged from hospital on 22 June after recovering from the disease. Health authorities explained that the WHO’s 42-day countdown is measured from the last locally transmitted case rather than imported infections, allowing the country to officially declare the outbreak over.

Of the 20 confirmed infections recorded during the outbreak, 18 patients recovered and were discharged from treatment centres, while two people died. Both fatalities involved nationals from the neighbouring Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), where the outbreak originated.

According to Ugandan health officials, 15 of the confirmed cases in Uganda were linked to infections acquired in the DRC, which remains the epicentre of the epidemic. The neighbouring country has recorded more than 3,000 confirmed Ebola cases, making cross-border surveillance a critical component of Uganda’s disease control efforts.

“Throughout this period, the Ministry of Health maintained intensive surveillance nationwide and no new Ebola cases have been detected,” Baryomunsi said, adding that authorities would continue monitoring border areas and healthcare facilities to quickly identify any future infections.

Uganda has experienced multiple Ebola outbreaks since recording its first epidemic in 2000. Successive outbreaks have enabled the country’s public health authorities to develop rapid response systems, including contact tracing, laboratory testing, isolation of patients and public awareness campaigns, which have significantly reduced the risk of widespread transmission in recent years.

Despite declaring the country Ebola-free, officials cautioned that Uganda remains vulnerable to future outbreaks because of its proximity to the DRC and the presence of vast tropical forests that are home to fruit bats, the natural reservoir of the Ebola virus.

Ebola spreads through direct contact with the bodily fluids or tissues of infected people or animals. The disease typically causes fever, severe headache, muscle pain, weakness, vomiting, diarrhoea and, in severe cases, internal and external bleeding.

Although there is no universally effective cure, early diagnosis, supportive treatment and rapid public health interventions have been shown to significantly improve survival rates and limit the spread of the virus.