Uganda: Uganda Declares End of 2026 Ebola Outbreak After 42 Days Without New Cases

What the report says

AllAfrica, carrying a Nile Post report from Kampala, says Uganda has declared the 2026 Ebola outbreak over after passing the required 42-day observation period with no additional infections. Health Minister Dr. Chris Baryomunsi made the announcement at a media briefing at the Uganda Media Centre on Tuesday, saying the country was now free of Ebola after months of surveillance and response work.

According to the report, the 42-day countdown began on June 16, 2026, after the last Ugandan patient with a locally transmitted infection was discharged. A later patient, a Congolese national treated at the Mulago National Referral Hospital isolation centre in Kampala and discharged on July 16, was considered an imported case. Baryomunsi said authorities did not use that discharge date for the countdown because the patient had entered Uganda concealed in a cargo truck and had no known contacts in the country.

The minister said investigators linked the outbreak to a documented importation event and established the transmission chains among confirmed cases. Identified contacts completed 21 days of monitoring without developing symptoms, while the response included nationwide surveillance, faster diagnosis, digital contact tracing and coordinated patient management, the Nile Post reported.

The declaration matters because Ebola outbreaks require sustained containment efforts even after the last known patient recovers, due to the virus’s incubation period and the risk of renewed transmission. Baryomunsi urged the public to stay alert and continue recommended health precautions, while saying Uganda’s health system remains prepared to respond to future outbreaks.