Uganda Ebola outbreak declared over after 42-day monitoring period
Uganda says a 42-day monitoring period ended with no new cases, even as DR Congo’s Ebola toll continues to rise.
By Lucas Ferreira · Science & Environment Writer
3 min read
The Uganda Ebola outbreak has been declared over after health officials completed a 42-day monitoring period without finding another case, Health Minister Chris Baryomunsi said Tuesday. The decision marks a respite for Uganda while neighbouring Democratic Republic of the Congo faces a much larger Ebola outbreak.
Baryomunsi said the monitoring window began after the last Ugandan national with a locally transmitted infection was discharged on June 16, 2026. He said Uganda’s Ministry of Health kept nationwide surveillance in place during that period and detected no new Ebola cases.
The minister later urged Ugandans on social media to remain alert and continue following public health measures. Al Jazeera and Reuters reported that Uganda had 20 confirmed cases in the outbreak, with 18 patients discharged and two deaths.
Both people who died were from the DRC, according to Al Jazeera and Reuters. The deaths tied Uganda’s smaller outbreak to a broader regional risk as infections continue to rise across the border.
Why did Uganda declare the Ebola outbreak over?
Baryomunsi said Uganda reached the end of a mandatory 42-day monitoring period after the discharge of the last known Ugandan patient. Because health officials found no additional infections during that time, authorities declared the country free of Ebola.
The declaration does not end public health caution in Uganda. Baryomunsi’s follow-up message told residents to stay alert, reflecting the risk posed by the ongoing outbreak in the DRC.
What is happening with Ebola in DR Congo?
The Congolese Ministry of Health has recorded at least 3,262 infections and 1,437 deaths, according to figures cited by Al Jazeera and Reuters. The outbreak in the DRC has been under way since mid-May.
Al Jazeera and Reuters reported that the current DRC outbreak is close in scale to the country’s 2018-2020 Ebola outbreak, which was the largest ever recorded there. The World Health Organization says the latest outbreak is the fastest-spreading ever recorded and that the real number of cases could be two to four times higher than the official count.
The strain spreading in the DRC is Bundibugyo, according to Al Jazeera and Reuters. They reported that Bundibugyo is the rarest of the four Ebola variants known to infect people and currently has no approved vaccines or treatments.
What is Ebola?
Al Jazeera and Reuters described Ebola as a viral haemorrhagic illness that can cause fever, vomiting, diarrhoea and internal bleeding. They reported that the virus spreads through direct contact with bodily fluids from people who are sick with Ebola or who have died from it.
Uganda’s announcement separates its outbreak status from the DRC’s worsening situation, but officials have not suggested the regional threat has passed. The health minister’s message was that surveillance succeeded in Uganda while vigilance still matters.
This story draws on original reporting from Al Jazeera.