By Deborah Adeyefa
Uganda has officially declared an end to its latest Ebola outbreak after successfully completing the mandatory 42-day monitoring period without recording any new infections, health authorities announced on Tuesday.
The declaration was made by Uganda’s Minister of Health, Dr Chris Baryomunsi, who confirmed that the country had met the conditions required by international health guidelines to be considered Ebola-free.
According to health officials, the monitoring period commenced after the discharge of the last Ugandan patient infected through local transmission on June 16, 2026.
The outbreak, which was declared in mid-May, resulted in 20 confirmed infections and two deaths. Health authorities reported that 18 patients recovered and were discharged, while the two fatalities involved nationals of the neighbouring Democratic Republic of Congo.
“Throughout this period, the Ministry of Health maintained intensive surveillance nationwide, and no new Ebola cases have been detected,” Baryomunsi said.
Officials disclosed that fifteen of the confirmed infections were linked to individuals who had contracted the disease in the Democratic Republic of Congo, where Ebola cases have exceeded 3,000 and continue to pose significant public health challenges.
The final Ebola patient in Uganda, a Congolese national, was discharged from treatment on June 22.
Uganda has experienced multiple Ebola outbreaks since recording its first epidemic in 2000. Over the years, the country has developed extensive experience in outbreak management through rapid surveillance, contact tracing, isolation measures and public awareness campaigns.
Health experts attribute Uganda’s vulnerability to recurring outbreaks partly to its tropical forests, which are inhabited by fruit bats—the natural reservoirs of the Ebola virus.
Ebola is a severe viral haemorrhagic disease transmitted through direct contact with infected bodily fluids, tissues or contaminated materials. Symptoms often include fever, severe headache, muscle pain, vomiting, diarrhoea and, in severe cases, internal and external bleeding.
The successful containment of the outbreak has been welcomed by public health authorities across Africa, who view it as evidence of the effectiveness of regional disease surveillance systems and coordinated response mechanisms.
Health officials have nevertheless urged continued vigilance, particularly in border regions, given the ongoing transmission of the disease in parts of the Democratic Republic of Congo.
