Health Minister confirms no new Ebola cases in Uganda
KAMPALA, July 17, 2026 — Uganda has recorded no new confirmed Ebola cases in the past 21 days, but the country must complete a 42-day period without a new case before it can be declared Ebola-free by the World Health Organisation [WHO], despite the discharge of the last patient from the Ebola Treatment Unit.
Minister of Health Dr Chris Baryomunsi made the announcement while presenting an update on the Ebola Sudan virus disease outbreak in Uganda to Parliament on Thursday.
“There have been no new confirmed cases in the last 21 days. This is the strongest epidemiological signal that local human-to-human transmission has been interrupted,” Baryomunsi told the House, which was chaired by Speaker Jacob Marksons Oboth.
He explained that although there are no patients currently admitted to the Ebola Treatment Unit at Mulago National Referral Hospital in Kampala, Uganda cannot yet be declared Ebola-free under WHO public health guidelines.
“WHO guidelines require 42 days without a new confirmed case—two full incubation periods—before an outbreak can be declared over. We are now in that critical final stretch, and the countdown has started today,” Baryomunsi said.
The minister said that since the outbreak was declared in Uganda on May 15, 2026, a total of 20 cases had been recorded, of which 15 were imported from the Democratic Republic of the Congo [DRC]. Two of the imported cases died.
“The response system has been fairly effective. Even those who died presented late for treatment. I can safely say we have done fairly well, courtesy of the experience we have gained over the years,” he said.
Although Uganda has made significant progress in containing the outbreak, Baryomunsi said collaboration with the DRC remains ongoing.
“Uganda will support the Congolese government by establishing Ebola treatment centres, and President Yoweri Museveni has approved four of them. Subsequently, more than 50 specialists have been deployed from Uganda to the DRC,” he said.
He added that joint surveillance activities are continuing, with laboratories established at border points in Arua and Kasese districts.
“We have intensified public awareness campaigns and interventions in border communities, including suspending community markets. The borders with the DRC will remain closed, and a joint taskforce will meet to determine the way forward,” Baryomunsi added.
The minister also said the government is engaging countries that imposed travel restrictions on Ugandans following the Ebola outbreak.
The Shadow Minister of Health, Sheilah Amaniyo, who is also the Member of Parliament for Mukono Municipality, said that although the Ministry of Health successfully contained the outbreak, its public communication strategy had damaged the country’s international image.
“It was not a local outbreak, but because of a lack of clarity in public communication, the world was made to believe that the epidemic was worse than it actually was. The international community viewed Uganda as a hotspot, leading to tourists cancelling their visits,” Amaniyo said.
Julius Monday Rude, the Chairperson of the Parliamentary Committee on Health, who is also the Bukonzo East MP, commended the government’s response to the outbreak and praised the interventions that helped contain the virus.
Buy your copy of thecooperator magazine from one of our country-wide vending points or an e-copy on emag.thecooperator.news
