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By Spy Uganda
Uganda has entered the final phase of its fight against the Ebola Bundibugyo Virus Disease (BVD), with the Ministry of Health announcing that the country has gone 21 days without recording a new confirmed case and has now begun the mandatory 42-day countdown required before the outbreak can officially be declared over by the World Health Organization (WHO).
Health Minister Dr. Chris Baryomunsi made the announcement while presenting an update on the Ebola situation to Parliament on Thursday during a sitting chaired by Speaker Jacob Marksons Oboth.
Baryomunsi said the country has not registered any new confirmed Ebola cases over the past 21 days, describing the development as the strongest indication yet that local human-to-human transmission has been interrupted.
“There are no new confirmed cases in the last 21 days. This is the strongest available epidemiological signal that local human-to-human transmission has been interrupted,” he told Parliament.
Despite the encouraging progress and the discharge of the last patient from the Ebola Treatment Unit at Mulago National Referral Hospital, the minister emphasized that Uganda cannot yet be declared Ebola-free.
He explained that under WHO guidelines, a country must complete 42 consecutive days without recording a new confirmed Ebola case—equivalent to two full incubation periods—before an outbreak can officially be declared over.
“WHO guidelines require 42 days without a new confirmed case before an outbreak can be declared over. We are now in that critical final stretch, and the countdown has started today,” Baryomunsi said.
The minister revealed that since the outbreak was declared on May 15, 2026, Uganda has recorded a total of 20 confirmed Ebola cases, 15 of which were imported from the neighbouring Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).
Two of the imported cases succumbed to the disease after reporting late for treatment.
“The response system has been fairly effective. Even those who died, it is because they presented late. I can safely say we have done fairly well, courtesy of the experience we have gathered over the years,” he said.
Baryomunsi said Uganda continues to work closely with the Democratic Republic of Congo to contain the outbreak across the border.
He disclosed that President Yoweri Museveni has authorized the establishment of four Ebola Treatment Centres in the DRC, with Uganda already deploying more than 50 health specialists to support the country’s response efforts.
According to the minister, Uganda and the DRC are also conducting joint disease surveillance, while laboratories have been established at key border points in Arua and Kasese districts to strengthen early detection and response.
The government has further intensified public awareness campaigns in border communities and introduced additional preventive measures, including suspending community markets in high-risk border areas.
He added that Uganda’s borders with the DRC will remain closed for now as a joint cross-border task force continues to assess the situation and recommend the next course of action.
Baryomunsi also revealed that the government is engaging countries that imposed travel restrictions on Ugandan travellers following the outbreak, with the aim of restoring confidence once the country is officially declared Ebola-free.
During the debate, the Shadow Minister for Health, Hon. Sheilah Amaniyo (NUP, Mukono Municipality), commended the Ministry of Health for effectively containing the outbreak but criticized its communication strategy.
She argued that inadequate public messaging created the impression internationally that Uganda was experiencing a widespread Ebola crisis, negatively affecting tourism and the country’s image.
“It was not a local outbreak, but due to lack of clarity in public communication, the world was made to believe that the epidemic was worse than it was. The international community believed the country was a hot zone, leading to tourists cancelling their visits,” Amaniyo said.
Meanwhile, the Chairperson of Parliament’s Committee on Health, Hon. Julius Rude, applauded the government’s swift interventions, saying Uganda’s experience in handling previous Ebola outbreaks had played a key role in containing the latest outbreak.
If Uganda completes the 42-day surveillance period without recording another confirmed Ebola case, the World Health Organization will officially declare the country Ebola-free, marking another major milestone in its public health response.
, https://www.spyuganda.com/uganda-records-zero-new-ebola-cases-starts-who-42-day-countdown/
