Uganda declares itself Ebola free as deaths surge to 1,400 in DR Congo

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Uganda’s health authorities have declared the country Ebola free, marking an end to its outbreak as deaths surge by over 400 in neighbouring Democratic Republic of Congo unjust a few days.

Kampala had reported 20 confirmed cases and two deaths since a fresh outbreak of the virus was declared in central Africa in mid-May. However, its last patient was discharged in mid-June, a man from the DRC, and Uganda has not reported a new case since June 22.

The last Ebola patient in Uganda, a Congolese national, was discharged on June 22. That is short of the 42-day waiting period required by the World Health Organisation (WHO) to declare the end of an outbreak. But Health Minister Chris Baryomunsi said the announcement follows the “successful completion of the mandatory 42-day monitoring period ⁠which begun after the discharge of the last Ugandan national, a locally transmitted patient, on the 16 of June, 2026.”

Of the 20 confirmed cases during the outbreak, 18 were discharged while two died from the virus, both of whom were from the Democratic Republic of Congo. “Throughout this period the ministry of health ‌maintained intensive surveillance nationwide and no new Ebola cases have been detected,” Baryomunsi said.

“Unlike previous Ebola outbreaks that informed the current 42-day declaration policy, Uganda’s 2026 Ebola outbreak arose from a fully documented importation event,” its health ministry said on X.

It added that the source and route of infection were identified, the confirmed cases were linked and identified contacts were quarantined “without evidence of further transmission”.

The outbreak is the third-largest on record and substantial cuts to global health aid, particularly the dismantling of the US Agency for International Development (USAID) and the withdrawal of US funding from the WHO, have significantly weakened prevention systems.

The number of confirmed infections in the DRC has risen to more 3,200 and at least 1,405 deaths, with cases surging by about 1,000 in 10 days, according to government data released on Sunday.

DRC health authorities reported that deaths had topped 1,000 on Thursday, marking a significant surge in just a few days.

Almost 90 percent of cases in the DRC have been reported in the northeastern province of Ituri, which borders South Sudan and Uganda, according to the WHO.

“The fact that, in just ten weeks, we have reached nearly the same number of cases recorded over an almost two-year outbreak is alarming and should stop us in our tracks,” said Onesphore Bangenza, part of Mercy Corps Ebola Response Team Leader in Bunia, Ituri. “There is no doubt that the virus is moving faster than we can contain it.”

“When basic healthcare is unavailable, insecurity interrupts humanitarian assistance, or essential prevention infrastructure is lost, frustration, rumours, and fear can quickly resurface. Every interruption risks undoing hard-won gains and giving the virus more room to spread,” Mr Bangenza said.

The outbreak is caused by the Bundibugyo strain of the Ebola virus, for which there is no approved vaccine or treatment.

Sweeping budget reductions have drastically reduced frontline health workers, leaving local clinics without vital medical supplies. Experts from major international NGOs, including United Nations agencies, have warned that these financial deficits allowed Ebola to spread undetected for weeks.

The US State Department and international partners have deployed emergency funding to establish basic treatment clinics, but the initial lag severely constrained the containment response.

It is the fastest outbreak in history, according to the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention. For comparison, a 2018 spread in DRC taking about 235 days to reach more than 1,000 cases.

Most of the cases in Uganda, at 15, were among people who had been infected in DRC.

“Throughout this period the ministry of health maintained intensive surveillance nationwide and no new Ebola cases have been detected,” Uganda’s Health Minister Chris Baryomunsi said.

This article has been produced as part of The Independent’s Rethinking Global Aid project