I
Kinshasa, July 28th, 2026 (CPA).- The Ugandan Minister in charge of Health has officially announced on Tuesday the end of the 2026 Ebola outbreak, following the completion of the mandatory 42-day surveillance period, during which no new cases has been detected within the country, according to international media reports. “The Ugandan Ministry in charge of Health is delighted to announce the end of the 2026 Ebola virus disease outbreak. Today, Uganda is Ebola-free,” has declared Chris Baryomusi, Ugandan Minister in charge of Health. “The surveillance period had begun on June 16th, 2026, following the recovery and discharge of the last locally infected patient. Over the following six weeks, the health teams have maintained enhanced surveillance measures across the country, without recording any new infections,” he has added. According to the authorities, this outbreak originated from a clearly identified imported case. The epidemiological investigations have enabled all chains of transmission to be traced, those who had been in contact with the patients to be identified, and them to be placed in quarantine. These contacts have subsequently completed their 21-day monitoring period without developing any symptoms or transmitting the virus. Uganda had declared this outbreak on May 15th, following the confirmation of several imported cases from the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), where an outbreak of the disease had been raging for several months. The country had recorded a total of 20 confirmed cases, of which 18 people had recovered and two had died. Of the cases recorded, 15 were imported from DRC, whilst five involved Ugandan healthcare workers who had been infected whilst treating patients.Furthermore, the Ugandan authorities remind the public that vigilance remains essential, particularly given the cross-border movements between Uganda and DRC. Surveillance measures at points of entry and rapid detection capabilities will be maintained to prevent any reintroduction of the virus.