Ebola Resurgence in Uganda
Recent Developments
01As of 14 July 2026, Uganda had 20 confirmed cases, including 2 deaths and 1 probable fatal case, all in Kampala District; WHO says no new cases had been reported since 21 June 2026.
02The last confirmed Uganda case was discharged on 16 July 2026 after two negative tests, starting the 42-day enhanced-surveillance countdown toward possible outbreak end declaration.
03WHO declared the DRC-Uganda Bundibugyo-virus Ebola event a Public Health Emergency of International Concern on 17 May 2026.
04CDC reported that Uganda’s outbreak remained confined to Kampala, with 15 imported cases and 5 secondary cases linked to imported cases from the DRC as of early July 2026.
Interventions
- Enhanced surveillance and the 42-day monitoring period after the last confirmed discharge in Uganda.
- Daily contact tracing, isolation of confirmed and suspected cases, and restricted travel for contacts under WHO guidance.
- Cross-border preparedness and response support from WHO, including surveillance, contact tracing, clinical preparedness, supplies, and community engagement.
- Treatment-center and infection-prevention support from MSF in Kampala, Bwera, and Arua.
What Works
- Rapid isolation and treatment of confirmed cases in Ebola treatment centers, which WHO identifies as a core containment measure for Bundibugyo-virus disease.
- Daily monitoring of contacts for 21 days with travel restrictions, which WHO recommends to stop onward transmission.
- Strong infection prevention and control in health-care settings, which MSF and WHO both emphasize because Uganda’s cases have been linked to health facilities.
How to Help
- Donate to organizations supporting Ebola response operations, such as WHO partners and medical NGOs active in Uganda and the DRC.
- Support reputable humanitarian medical organizations working on surveillance, isolation, and infection prevention in affected areas.
- Advocate for sustained international funding for cross-border outbreak control, health-worker protection, and laboratory capacity.
Make an Impact
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Organizations Helping(4)
UNICEF’s strategy is to combine direct service delivery with system strengthening, using child-focused interventions that can work at scale and in crises. Its public materials emphasize low-cost, high-impact, and sustainable solutions across health, nutrition, education, WASH, and protection, rather than isolated one-off projects.[6][2] A distinctive part of UNICEF’s approach is that it works through governments and local, national, and global partners to build or improve public systems while also reaching children immediately in emergencies. In education, for example, UNICEF both creates temporary learning centers for displaced children and helps strengthen formal education systems; in health, it pairs vaccine procurement and immunization support with disease prevention and primary care.[8][2] UNICEF also uses an equity-centered model, prioritizing children who are out of school, living in conflict zones, affected by poverty, or excluded because of gender or disability. Its programs are designed to protect children’s rights while delivering measurable outcomes such as improved survival, learning, sanitation, and protection in both stable and emergency settings.[8][6]
MSF is responding in Uganda and the DRC by treating patients, setting up Ebola treatment centers and isolation units, and delivering supplies. Its outbreak strategy includes surveillance in affected and at-risk communities, vaccination, infection prevention and control training for health workers, community engagement and health promotion, and strengthening early detection and reporting through alert lines and facility-based notification systems.
UNHCR is involved in Uganda’s Ebola preparedness and response in refugee-hosting areas. The cited outbreak-preparedness work describes UNHCR putting in place Ebola trainings, screening, infection prevention and control measures, and dissemination of information materials to strengthen health and border preparedness for mobile and displaced populations.
OCHA’s strategy is to make humanitarian action more coordinated, faster, and more accountable rather than to directly deliver most relief itself. It convenes UN agencies, NGOs, Red Cross/Red Crescent partners, and host authorities around shared response structures, common plans, and agreed priorities so that aid reaches people in need with less duplication and fewer gaps.[4][10] A core part of this model is pooled financing. OCHA manages CERF and Country-Based Pooled Funds to move money quickly to urgent and underfunded crises, including when needs are known before donor funding arrives or when local priorities need flexible support.[8][2] OCHA also strengthens the system through humanitarian information, public needs tracking, and advocacy, using global appeal platforms and response plans to translate field evidence into funding asks and operational coordination.[5][9] This approach is distinctive because OCHA acts as an orchestrator across the humanitarian system: it does not mainly implement aid projects itself, but instead improves the speed, coherence, and targeting of the overall response. Its model combines coordination, shared analysis, pooled funding, and public accountability to help multiple operational agencies respond as one system.[2][8][10]
