Bukola Afeni
The Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) and the World Health Organization (WHO) have announced that Uganda is Ebola-free after completing 42 consecutive days without a new confirmed case.
The announcement was disclosed on the WHO website on Thursday, following the completion of the internationally recognised 42-day countdown.
The milestone came after Uganda’s last Ebola patient, an imported case, was discharged from care on July 16, 2026.
The 42-day period is the internationally established benchmark for confirming that transmission linked to an Ebola outbreak has ended, as it represents twice the upper limit of the disease’s incubation period.
WHO Director-General, Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, commended Uganda’s response to the outbreak.
“Uganda has demonstrated that with decisive action, Ebola outbreaks can be brought under control quickly,” Tedros said.
Africa CDC Director-General, Dr Jean Kaseya, also praised Uganda’s efforts in containing the outbreak.
“Uganda has shown that Ebola can be stopped when leadership acts decisively, communities are trusted and public health systems reach people quickly,” Kaseya said.
Uganda recorded 20 confirmed cases of Ebola caused by the Bundibugyo virus after the outbreak was declared on May 15, 2026.
Fifteen cases were imported from the Democratic Republic of the Congo, while five were locally acquired among contacts and health workers linked to imported cases.
Eighteen people recovered, while two died. More than 800 contacts were identified and monitored during the outbreak.
Africa CDC and WHO said Uganda contained the outbreak through early case detection, contact tracing, isolation and clinical care, infection prevention and control, community engagement and strengthened surveillance.
The organisations warned that neighbouring countries remain at risk of imported cases due to population movement and cross-border trade, particularly as Ebola transmission continues in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
They urged countries in the region to strengthen disease surveillance, testing capacity, rapid investigation of alerts and cross-border coordination.
WHO also advised against travel and trade restrictions linked to Ebola, urging countries to maintain international travel and trade while implementing appropriate public health measures.
