KAMPALA, Uganda — 27 August 2026: The World Health Organization has confirmed that Uganda’s Bundibugyo Ebola outbreak is over after the country completed 42 days without a new transmission.
The confirmation strengthens the all-clear first issued by Uganda’s government on 28 July, but health authorities say surveillance must continue because the outbreak remains active across the border in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Is Uganda’s 2026 Ebola outbreak over? Yes. WHO confirmed that Uganda completed the required observation period without detecting another transmission chain. The country recorded 20 confirmed cases and two deaths. The declaration applies to Uganda; it does not mean the linked outbreak in neighbouring DRC has ended.
What WHO’s confirmation changes
The international confirmation closes Uganda’s domestic outbreak after an extended monitoring period. A Reuters report carried by The Straits Times said WHO continued observing the situation after Uganda’s July declaration to ensure that no transmission chain had been missed.
Dr Marie Roseline Belizaire, WHO Africa’s emergency-preparedness director, told the organisation’s regional meeting that the outbreak in Uganda was over. The meeting was held during the WHO Regional Committee for Africa session in Addis Ababa.
Uganda had already declared itself Ebola-free on 28 July. The Ministry of Health’s official account said the outbreak produced 20 confirmed cases: 15 imported infections and five infections among Ugandans who cared for imported patients. Eighteen patients recovered and two died.
The declaration therefore does not erase the lives lost or the disruption caused by the outbreak. It confirms that intensive testing, quarantine, contact tracing and surveillance found no evidence of continued domestic transmission.
Why 42 days matters
Forty-two days represents two maximum incubation periods for Bundibugyo virus disease. WHO explained that standard in its official notice opening Uganda’s countdown after the last confirmed patient tested negative twice and left care.
HEALTH NEWS
WHO Confirms Uganda’s 2026 Ebola Outbreak Is Over
Aug 27, 2026
Aug 27, 2026
4 min read
Published
Updated:
KAMPALA, Uganda — 27 August 2026: The World Health Organization has confirmed that Uganda’s Bundibugyo Ebola outbreak is over after the country completed 42 days without a new transmission.
The confirmation strengthens the all-clear first issued by Uganda’s government on 28 July, but health authorities say surveillance must continue because the outbreak remains active across the border in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Is Uganda’s 2026 Ebola outbreak over? Yes. WHO confirmed that Uganda completed the required observation period without detecting another transmission chain. The country recorded 20 confirmed cases and two deaths. The declaration applies to Uganda; it does not mean the linked outbreak in neighbouring DRC has ended.
What WHO’s confirmation changes
The international confirmation closes Uganda’s domestic outbreak after an extended monitoring period. A Reuters report carried by The Straits Times said WHO continued observing the situation after Uganda’s July declaration to ensure that no transmission chain had been missed.
Dr Marie Roseline Belizaire, WHO Africa’s emergency-preparedness director, told the organisation’s regional meeting that the outbreak in Uganda was over. The meeting was held during the WHO Regional Committee for Africa session in Addis Ababa.
ADVERTISEMENT
Uganda had already declared itself Ebola-free on 28 July. The Ministry of Health’s official account said the outbreak produced 20 confirmed cases: 15 imported infections and five infections among Ugandans who cared for imported patients. Eighteen patients recovered and two died.
The declaration therefore does not erase the lives lost or the disruption caused by the outbreak. It confirms that intensive testing, quarantine, contact tracing and surveillance found no evidence of continued domestic transmission.
Why 42 days matters
Forty-two days represents two maximum incubation periods for Bundibugyo virus disease. WHO explained that standard in its official notice opening Uganda’s countdown after the last confirmed patient tested negative twice and left care.
The countdown gives health teams time to detect infections connected to the last known case. If a new locally transmitted infection had been found, the clock would have restarted.
Uganda’s response included monitoring contacts, strengthening laboratories, training health workers and increasing surveillance in high-risk districts and at official entry points. XTRAfrica earlier reported how WHO praised Uganda’s response systems while cases continued to rise in DRC.
ADVERTISEMENT
The latest confirmation is also a major change from June, when Uganda was still discharging recovered Ebola patients and monitoring possible transmission.
Uganda remains on alert because DRC’s outbreak continues
Uganda’s all-clear is national, not regional. EFE’s report from the WHO briefing said transmission remained active in DRC, where the Bundibugyo strain continues to affect several provinces.
The continued cross-border risk is why Uganda has maintained screening and surveillance in border districts. The Ministry of Health also said the country is cooperating with DRC through a joint response arrangement that includes mobile laboratories and treatment capacity.
That caution matches XTRAfrica’s earlier reporting on WHO’s decision to include Uganda in the regional Ebola emergency and on the severe operational challenges facing the DRC Ebola response.
ADVERTISEMENT
TRENDING NOW
POPULAR TODAY
The declaration means no active transmission chain has been detected in Uganda. It does not remove the need to report suspected symptoms or follow official health instructions, especially in communities linked to cross-border travel.
Uganda’s Health Ministry has reassured residents and visitors that the country is open for travel, business and tourism. At the same time, it continues to advise vigilance and prompt reporting of suspected Ebola symptoms.
The government’s preparedness received another boost on 26 August when the Ministry of Health announced that the United States had supplied MBP134 antibody treatment for possible compassionate use if a future case emerges.
The next verifiable milestone will be whether Uganda maintains zero domestic cases while supporting surveillance along the DRC border. WHO and national health authorities are expected to continue publishing regional updates as the Congolese outbreak evolves.
ADVERTISEMENT
RELATED ARTICLE
