OUGANDA PERSPECTIVE

Kampala, July 18, 2026. As the Ebola epidemic sets records for spread in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Uganda is experiencing a cautious reprieve. On July 16, the Ministry of Health announced the discharge of the last patient from the National Isolation Center in Mulago, Kampala, triggering the regulatory 42-day countdown - two 21-day incubation periods - before the World Health Organization can officially declare the epidemic over.

Before Parliament, Minister Chris Baryomunsi detailed the national tally: 20 cases reported since the epidemic was declared on May 15, including 15 imported directly from the DRC, with two deaths. "There have been no new confirmed cases in the past 21 days, which is the strongest epidemiological signal we have that local human-to-human transmission has been interrupted," he said. Uganda's case fatality rate, set at 10%, is presented as one of the lowest ever recorded for the Bundibugyo strain of the virus.

However, Kampala remains on high alert. The minister noted that the country remains exposed as long as the epidemic continues to spread in the neighboring DRC, where thousands of cases have been reported. Cross-border cooperation has been strengthened: four treatment centers supported by Uganda have been sanctioned by President Yoweri Museveni on the Congolese side, while Ugandan medical teams are supporting the response in the eastern part of the country.

The health reprieve has not been enough to convince the US, however. The US Department of State has classified Uganda as a level 4 "Do Not Travel" country, citing the Ebola epidemic alongside crime, terrorism, and civil unrest - joining nine other African countries on this list, including the DRC itself. Kampala is now engaging in discussions with countries that have imposed travel restrictions to limit the economic impact.

On the scientific front, the Infectious Diseases Institute at Makerere University is exploring a promising lead: an oral antiviral for pre-exposure prophylaxis, administered to potentially exposed individuals before symptoms appear. "This is a well-developed concept for HIV that we are now applying to viral hemorrhagic fevers," explains its director, Andrew Kambugu, who also coordinates the continental response cell hosted in Kampala.