Uganda declares end to Ebola outbreak

What the report says

Al Jazeera, citing its staff and Reuters, reported that Uganda has declared the end of its Ebola outbreak after completing the required 42-day monitoring period with no fresh infections detected. Health Minister Chris Baryomunsi said the countdown began after the last Ugandan patient, who had acquired the disease locally, was discharged on June 16, 2026. He said health authorities kept nationwide surveillance in place during the period.

According to the report, Uganda recorded 20 confirmed cases in the outbreak. Eighteen patients were discharged, while two people died; both fatalities were nationals of the neighbouring Democratic Republic of the Congo. Baryomunsi later urged Ugandans on social media to stay vigilant and continue following public health guidance, signalling that authorities do not view the risk as fully gone.

The announcement comes as the DRC is facing a much larger Ebola emergency. Al Jazeera reported, citing the Congolese Ministry of Health, that at least 3,262 infections and 1,437 deaths have been recorded there since an outbreak began in mid-May. The World Health Organization has described the current outbreak as the fastest-spreading on record and warned the real number of infections may be substantially higher than official figures.

Ebola is a viral haemorrhagic disease that can cause severe symptoms including fever, vomiting, diarrhoea and internal bleeding. It spreads through direct contact with bodily fluids from infected people or those who have died from the virus. The strain reported in the DRC is Bundibugyo, a rare Ebola variant for which Al Jazeera reported there are currently no approved vaccines or treatments.