Uganda declares end to Ebola outbreak as Congo cases near record highs

Health authorities in Uganda announced Tuesday that the country is officially Ebola-free, following a 42-day monitoring period during which the last patient did not contract the disease or transmit it to others. The declaration comes as case numbers continue to rise sharply in the neighboring Democratic Republic of Congo.

Key Developments

July 28, 2026

Uganda reported 20 confirmed Ebola cases and two deaths during the outbreak. Officials stated that the country now has no active or potential cases, but urged residents "to remain alert" and continue observing public health measures.

In the Democratic Republic of Congo, the Ministry of Health reported that cases have reached 3,262, with 1,437 deaths. Officials describe this as the fastest-spreading Ebola outbreak on record. The current case count places it just behind the country's 2018–2020 outbreak—the largest ever recorded—which saw more than 3,400 cases.

July 22, 2026

Health officials announced that more than 1,000 people have died across Congo and Uganda.

June 25, 2026

Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention Director-General Jean Kaseya told reporters that the funding needed to fight the outbreak has tripled from earlier estimates of $518 million to approximately $1.4 billion. He warned: "If we don't have this $1.4 billion, and if we don't resolve the humanitarian issue, we will not stop this outbreak."

June 24, 2026

The White House submitted a supplemental funding request to Congress, including $1.4 billion to combat the Ebola outbreak in Central Africa.

French Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu stated he is monitoring the situation "very closely" and confirmed that a doctor who had been in the affected region has been isolated since arriving in France.

June 16, 2026

Africa CDC Director-General Jean Kaseya warned that unless the outbreak is contained soon, "it will be worse" than any previous Ebola outbreak, including those in Congo, Guinea, Liberia, and Sierra Leone.

WHO Incident Manager Dr. Marie-Roseline Belizaire told CBS News that "we are missing cases" as Ebola continues to spread undetected in Congo. "One month after the outbreak has been declared, I'm still feeling concerned," she said.

June 6, 2026

Dr. Peter Stafford, who worked with a missionary group in the Democratic Republic of Congo, was released from Charité University Hospital in Berlin, according to a statement.

June 5, 2026

WHO Director-General Tedros Ghebreyesus said the $518 million response plan draws on lessons from previous Ebola outbreaks and "provides a pathway to broadly strengthen Africa’s capacity to prevent, detect and respond to future health threats."

The WHO reported 19 confirmed cases and 2 confirmed deaths from Ebola in Uganda.

June 4, 2026

The WHO reported 452 confirmed cases and 82 confirmed deaths in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

June 3, 2026

The U.S. Embassy in Kenya stated that officials continue working with the Kenyan government to establish a planned quarantine and treatment facility for Americans, despite a court order halting the plan and protests that have killed two people. Local residents argue the facility would place an unfair and dangerous health burden on the small, densely populated town of Nanyuki.

June 2, 2026

Dr. Mehmet Oz, Administrator of the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services, announced that the U.S. will set up "testing tools and mechanisms" to screen for Ebola at airports expected to see increased international travel for the upcoming FIFA World Cup.

Kenya’s High Court extended for another three weeks an order pausing construction of the quarantine and treatment facility at Laikipia Air Base.

Two people were killed during protests at the airbase after police reportedly opened fire.

Kenyan President William Ruto defended the proposed facility in an early morning post on X.