Ebola: US donates death-preventing treatment to Uganda

What the report says

The United States has donated vials of MBP134, an experimental Ebola antibody treatment, to Uganda’s Ministry of Health, according to The Observer. The handover was received by state minister for health in charge of primary health care, Dr Charles Ayume, who welcomed the shipment as a safeguard for families in Uganda. The article says the treatment is intended for compassionate use and is not commercially available.

The donation comes even though Uganda has no active Ebola cases at present. The paper links the move to an ongoing outbreak of the Bundibugyo species in neighbouring Democratic Republic of Congo, which US officials described as a major regional health threat. The Observer reported that, by mid-August 2026, the DRC outbreak had become the largest recorded Ebola outbreak outside West Africa, with more than 4,500 confirmed cases and over 2,000 deaths.

MBP134 was developed by Mapp Biopharmaceutical under a BARDA contract within the US Department of Health and Human Services, and is designed to neutralize the virus faster than the body’s natural immune response. The article notes that pre-clinical studies suggest activity against multiple Ebola species, including the strain involved in the DRC outbreak, though its effectiveness in patients is still being studied.

US Chargé d’Affaires Mikael Cleverley said the donation was part of broader health-security efforts, and The Observer reported that Washington has announced more than $619 million in Ebola-related support for regional preparedness, surveillance and outbreak control.