Uganda declares itself Ebola-free after outbreak linked to DRC

Uganda has officially declared an end to the Ebola outbreak that affected the country, completing the necessary 42-day countdown without new infections. The Ministry of Health announced the nation's Ebola-free status on July 28, 2026, following the successful conclusion of a mandatory monitoring period. This period began after the last Ugandan patient with local transmission was discharged on June 16.

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The Ministry of Health is pleased to announce that Uganda has officially declared the end of the 2026 Ebola outbreak. The declaration comes after the successful completion of the mandatory 42-day monitoring period, which began after the discharge of the last Ugandan citizen, a patient with local transmission, on June 16.

The government's declaration marks the end of the epidemic within its borders. Although the last Ebola patient, a Congolese national, was discharged from a Kampala hospital on July 16, Ugandan authorities considered the local transmission chain broken earlier. The Ministry of Health acknowledged the traditional 42-day monitoring period's value but highlighted that this outbreak differed from previous ones.

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The Ministry recognizes that the traditional 42-day criterion has served the global public health community well and remains an essential safeguard in outbreaks where transmission is uncertain and ongoing.

Unlike earlier epidemics, the 2026 Ebola outbreak in Uganda originated from a fully documented imported case from the Democratic Republic of Congo. Officials confirmed the source of infection, the introduction pathway, and established clear epidemiological links between all confirmed cases. Transmission chains were completely characterized and reconstructed, with all identified contacts undergoing mandatory 21-day monitoring.

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Unlike previous Ebola outbreaks on which the current 42-day declaration policy was based, the 2026 Ebola outbreak originated from a fully documented imported case.

Uganda recorded 20 confirmed Ebola cases since the outbreak spread from the DRC, including 15 imported cases that resulted in two deaths. The outbreak was initially declared in eastern DRC on May 15. The World Health Organization considers the risk of further spread in sub-Saharan Africa "high" and globally "low," noting the Bundibugyo strain's fatality rate ranges from 30% to 50% with no authorized vaccine or specific treatment.

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The source of infection was identified, the pathway of introduction was determined, an epidemiological link between all confirmed cases was established, transmission chains were fully characterized and reconstructed, and all identified contacts were quarantined and completed the mandatory 21-day monitoring period.