A Ugandan worker collects a rubber glove from the airing line during a visit by the Director-General of the World Health Organisation (WHO) Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus at the Mulago National Referral Hospital Isolation Unit, as aid agencies intensify efforts to contain a new Ebola outbreak involving the Bundibugyo Virus, in Mulago suburb, of Kampala, Uganda, June 8, 2026. Image @ REUTERS/ Abubaker Lubowa
Uganda has begun the 42-day countdown required before it can be declared Ebola-free after health authorities discharged the country’s last confirmed Ebola patient on Thursday.
Health Minister Chris Baryomunsi oversaw the discharge ceremony at the Mulago National Referral Hospital’s isolation unit, where the recovered patient, a Congolese national, received an official certificate confirming he had tested negative for the virus and no longer posed a risk to the public.
“This certifies that, as of July 16, 2026, the survivor does not present a risk of infecting other persons after testing negative for Ebola virus disease. His current state of health does not constitute a danger to the community and can therefore return to his household and professional environment to continue his normal daily activities,” the minister said.
Uganda’s Ministry of Health also confirmed the milestone in a post on X, saying: “Today, Uganda has discharged the last Ebola patient, a Congolese national who has successfully recovered and is ready to be with his family.”
The discharge marks the start of the two incubation cycles required under World Health Organization guidelines before an outbreak can officially be declared over. Government spokesperson Alan Kasujja explained the process a day earlier.
“Uganda starts counting down. If 42 days pass without a single new case, WHO guidelines stipulate that we will be declared Ebola free,” he said.
Uganda declared the outbreak on May 15 after a traveler from eastern Democratic Republic of Congo tested positive for the rare Bundibugyo strain of Ebola. Since then, the country has recorded 20 confirmed cases, including five locally transmitted infections and 15 imported cases. Seventeen people have recovered, two have died, and no new infections have been reported since June 21.
Kasonde Mwinga, the WHO representative in Uganda, credited the country’s preparedness and rapid response for helping contain the outbreak. He said response teams remained on high alert throughout the emergency, contributing to a case fatality rate of under 10%, one of the lowest recorded in an Ebola outbreak.
Despite the milestone, officials stressed that the outbreak is not yet over. Baryomunsi urged the public, especially communities along the border with the Democratic Republic of Congo, to remain vigilant, noting that Uganda’s progress stands in sharp contrast to the continuing outbreak across the border.
As of Wednesday, the DRC had reported 2,011 confirmed Ebola cases and 754 deaths in the outbreak, which the WHO declared a Public Health Emergency of International Concern in May. Health officials warned that any new case detected in Uganda during the 42-day monitoring period would restart the countdown from day one.
To reduce that risk, Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni and his Congolese counterpart Félix Tshisekedi have agreed on a joint cross-border response. Uganda has deployed health experts to eastern DRC to help establish treatment centres and strengthen efforts to contain the virus before it reaches Ugandan territory.
Elsewhere in the region, Nigeria has stepped up its own preparedness by establishing a presidential task force and releasing additional funding to strengthen border screening and laboratory capacity.
Uganda’s Mulago National Referral Hospital’s isolation unit, which has treated patients during three Ebola outbreaks, will remain fully operational throughout the monitoring period. Enhanced screening at border crossings and community surveillance will also continue until the countdown ends.
By: Andrews Kwesi Yeboah