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Uganda
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Uganda

East African state; confirmed urban Bundibugyo Ebola cluster in Kampala and Wakiso, May 2026.

Uganda called time on its Bundibugyo Ebola cluster on 28 July 2026, a month early by the standard 42-day monitoring window, after its last confirmed patient cleared two negative tests in Kampala.

Last refreshed: 31 July 2026 · Appears in 1 active topic

Key Question

Can Uganda contain urban Ebola with no approved treatment, as it did in 2022?

Timeline for Uganda

#12 31 Jul

Closed the shared border to non-essential travel

Pandemics and Biosecurity: Uganda and DRC shut their shared border
#12 31 Jul

Mentioned in: CEPI puts a Bundibugyo vaccine in trials

Pandemics and Biosecurity
#12 28 Jul

Uganda calls its Ebola outbreak over

Pandemics and Biosecurity
#12 27 Jul

Mentioned in: Ebola case fatality crosses 40% in DRC

Pandemics and Biosecurity
#12 27 Jul

Mentioned in: Ebola beds sit empty in the epicentre

Pandemics and Biosecurity
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Background

Uganda is a landlocked East African country bordered by South Sudan, Kenya, Tanzania, Rwanda and DR Congo, with a population of approximately 49 million among the world's youngest by median age. Kampala is the capital, and President Yoweri Museveni has governed since 1986. Uganda's western border region is one of the world's highest-risk areas for Ebola and other zoonotic spillovers from the Congo Basin.

The country holds the Uganda Virus Research Institute (UVRI), one of East Africa's most capable virus-surveillance laboratories, and is one of eight African Union member states selected for ARILAC, a four-year programme building antimicrobial-resistance laboratory capacity across the continent.

The species name Bundibugyo ebolavirus derives from Bundibugyo District, Uganda, where it was first identified in 2007, giving the country's health system direct institutional memory of the pathogen. Uganda also contained a 142-case Sudan ebolavirus outbreak in 2022 through contact tracing and supportive care alone, with no vaccine or treatment for that species either, a template its response teams reused for the 2026 Bundibugyo cluster.

Key Issues
Ebola containment

Uganda declares its outbreak over

Health minister Dr Chris Baryomunsi closed the file on Uganda's Bundibugyo cluster on 28 July, cutting the standard 42-day surveillance run short by a month; the ministry, WHO and Africa CDC have since given differing accounts of why the early closure was allowed.

The declaration followed a national response built on the same contact-tracing and supportive-care approach that closed Uganda's 142-case Sudan ebolavirus outbreak in 2022 over 113 days, this time with no licensed vaccine or treatment for the Bundibugyo species; of the cluster's 20 confirmed cases, ECDC classified 15 as imported and rated Onward risk to the EU as very low.

Cross-border response

Uganda extends its Ebola response

Uganda and DR Congo closed their shared border to non-essential travel for four weeks from 31 July, screening 4,772 travellers at 32 entry points, a response Uganda mounted even after declaring its own outbreak over three days earlier.

On the same date, Uganda's contribution to two mobile testing laboratories and an 80-bed treatment unit just inside DR Congo moved diagnostic and care capacity closer to where cases are occurring, rather than relying on border screening alone; the gesture follows Kampala's own cluster, cleared at Mulago hospital on 16 July, as the country's clearest domestic precedent for what cross-border support can achieve.

Common Questions

Uganda declares its outbreak over

When will Uganda be declared free of Ebola?
If no new cases emerge, around 27 August 2026, 42 days after the last patient's discharge on 16 July 2026.Source: WHO / Uganda Ministry of Health
Has Uganda's Ebola outbreak officially ended?
Not yet. Uganda discharged its last confirmed patient on 16 July 2026 and entered a 42-day countdown due around 27 August; a single new imported case from DRC would restart the clock.Source: WHO / Uganda Ministry of Health
What does ECDC say about the risk of Ebola spreading to Europe from Uganda?
ECDC rates the Onward risk to the EU from Uganda's Bundibugyo Ebola cluster as very low, citing the stalled case count and completed contact monitoring.Source: ECDC
How many of Uganda's Ebola cases came from local transmission?
Of Uganda's 20 confirmed Bundibugyo Ebola cases, 5 resulted from local, non-import transmission within Kampala and Wakiso; the remaining 15 were imported from DRC's Ituri Province.Source: ECDC
Is Uganda's Ebola outbreak still spreading?
No new case has been confirmed since 21 June 2026. ECDC's outbreak tracker classifies the cluster as stalled, with 15 of the 20 confirmed cases imported and 5 from local transmission.Source: ECDC
How many Ebola cases are there in Uganda right now?
Uganda's confirmed Bundibugyo Ebola tally reached 20 cases by mid-July 2026 (15 imported, 5 from local transmission), with the last new case recorded on 21 June. The last confirmed patient was discharged on 16 July, starting a 42-day countdown toward declaring the outbreak over around 27 August, which resets if a new case is imported from DRC.Source: WHO DON605, 29 May 2026
Has Uganda had Ebola before 2026?
Yes. Uganda managed a Sudan ebolavirus outbreak in 2022 (142 cases over 113 days) with no approved vaccine or treatment, containing it through contact tracing and supportive care. Uganda also had the first identified Bundibugyo outbreak in 2007 in Bundibugyo District, and has experienced sporadic cases from cross-border movement with DRC during the 2018-20 Kivu outbreak.Source: WHO; event ID:3361
How did Uganda contain Ebola in 2022 without a vaccine?
The 2022 Sudan ebolavirus outbreak (142 cases, 113 days) was contained entirely through contact tracing and supportive care. No approved vaccine or treatment exists for Sudan ebolavirus; Uganda relied on isolation, oral rehydration, and ring-tracing. The same approach is being applied to the 2026 Bundibugyo response.Source: WHO / Uganda MoH
How did Uganda confirm its first Ebola case in May 2026?
A 59-year-old Congolese man admitted to Kibuli Muslim Hospital in Kampala on 11 May 2026 died on 14 May. Permanent Secretary Diana Atwine confirmed the case as imported from DRC. A mobile lab was deployed to Bwera Hospital near the border and 25 contacts placed under monitoring.Source: Uganda Ministry of Health

Reference

Why is Uganda selected for ARILAC?
Uganda is one of eight AU member states chosen for ARILAC, launched 6 May 2026, to build AMR laboratory capacity. Its UVRI viral surveillance foundation makes it a candidate to extend into bacterial resistance monitoring under the programme.Source: Africa CDC
Why is the Ebola outbreak named after a place in Uganda?
Bundibugyo ebolavirus takes its name from Bundibugyo District in western Uganda, where the species was first identified during a 2007 outbreak that produced 131 cases and 39 deaths. It is one of six species in the Orthoebolavirus genus; Bundibugyo District lies close to the DRC border, the ecological zone where Ebola spillovers have historically concentrated.Source: WHO species history
How has Uganda dealt with mpox outbreaks?
Uganda has managed mpox cases, including clade I cases linked to cross-border movement with the DRC, using its UVRI laboratory capacity. The country has existing One Health surveillance infrastructure developed through prior outbreak responses.
What is UVRI and what does it do in Uganda?
The Uganda Virus Research Institute (UVRI) in Entebbe is one of East Africa's leading virus surveillance and research centres. It has investigated Ebola outbreaks, conducted mpox case studies, and runs HIV and other endemic disease monitoring.
Source Material
Ebola virus disease – Democratic Republic of the Congo and Uganda (DON605)Uganda