The World Health Organization (WHO) has officially declared Uganda Ebola-free on Thursday, following 42 consecutive days without a new case.
The nation received recognition for its effective response in containing the outbreak and preventing wider transmission, which has severely strained medical facilities in neighboring areas of the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).
“Uganda has reached 42 days since the last confirmed imported Ebola case was discharged on 16 July 2026, with no documented onward transmission associated with the case, marking an end to the outbreak,” WHO posted on X (formerly twitter)
The government, healthcare professionals and their partners received praise for “the strong measures taken to contain the outbreak and prevent wider spread.”
The East African nation recorded 20 Ebola cases and two deaths, with nearly all of those infected having travelled from the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
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Backstory…
The World Health Organization’s declaration marks the formal end of Uganda’s 2026 Ebola outbreak, which was declared on May 15 after the virus crossed into the country from the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Uganda recorded 20 confirmed cases and two deaths, with 15 cases linked to importation from the DRC and five acquired locally.
The country began the mandatory 42-day countdown after its last confirmed patient was discharged on July 16, with no new infections detected during the monitoring period.
Uganda’s success comes as the situation across the border in the Democratic Republic of Congo remains extremely serious. WHO says the DRC is experiencing its largest Ebola outbreak on record, with transmission continuing to expand across several provinces. T
he contrast between Uganda’s successful containment and the rapidly worsening outbreak in the DRC has highlighted the importance of surveillance, contact tracing, border monitoring and rapid response in preventing further regional spread.
