Official health sources say Uganda’s Ebola cases are linked to cross-border movement from the Democratic Republic of Congo, with contact tracing and surveillance under way and no pandemic emergency declared.
KAMPALA: Ugandan health authorities have moved to contain Ebola cases linked to an outbreak in the neighbouring Democratic Republic of Congo, with official sources describing the initial Ugandan case as imported rather than evidence of widespread local transmission.
The World Health Organization said Uganda’s Ministry of Health confirmed an outbreak of Ebola disease caused by Bundibugyo virus on May 15, 2026, after identifying an imported case from the DRC. The patient, an elderly man, was admitted to a private hospital on May 11 with severe symptoms and died on May 14. His body was transferred back to the DRC the same day.
Uganda’s Ministry of Health has traced contacts including health workers, close relatives and others who interacted with the patient, according to information provided by Ugandan authorities and reflected in international public health updates. Africa CDC said Uganda’s reported case was imported from the DRC and called for regional coordination, laboratory information sharing, contact management and strengthened cross-border surveillance.
The DRC outbreak remains the centre of the regional health emergency. WHO reported that, as of May 16, 2026, the DRC had recorded eight laboratory-confirmed cases, 246 suspected cases and 80 suspected deaths in Ituri Province, including Bunia, Rwampara and Mongbwalu.
WHO has determined that the Ebola Bundibugyo event in the DRC and Uganda constitutes a Public Health Emergency of International Concern. However, it also stated that the event did not meet the criteria for a pandemic emergency.
Public health agencies have therefore urged vigilance rather than panic. The European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control reported, based on WHO data to May 20, that two imported cases had been confirmed in Kampala, while the confirmed outbreak burden remained concentrated in DRC’s Ituri and North Kivu provinces.
Ugandan health advice remains focused on early reporting and standard infection-prevention measures. Symptoms of Ebola can include sudden fever, fatigue, chest pain, diarrhoea, vomiting, unexplained bleeding and yellowing of the eyes. People are advised to wash hands regularly, avoid contact with bodily fluids and report suspected cases to the nearest health facility.
While some reports have described the situation as an “outbreak” in Uganda, official sources indicate that the Ugandan cases are linked to cross-border movement from the DRC. The available evidence supports a more precise description: Uganda is managing imported Ebola cases associated with a serious outbreak in eastern DRC, with public health measures including contact tracing and regional surveillance in place.
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