Uganda strengthens Ebola outbreak preparedness

Kampala ‒ Uganda's Ministry of Health, working with World Health Organization (WHO) and partners, has intensified surveillance, screening and undertaken contingency planning to mitigate the risk of cross-border transmission of Ebola virus disease. This comes as the Democratic Republic of the Congo enters its fifth week of Ebola outbreak response in Kasai Province in the central region of the country.

WHO and partners have supported the Ministry of Health to conduct a review of the current Ebola situation in neighbouring Democratic Republic of the Congo to evaluate the likelihood of cross border spread to Uganda. Using WHO's standardized risk assessment approach, the team reviewed potential health hazards posed by the outbreak, including the cause, severity and risk of illness or death. The assessment also covered contextual factors including the outbreak's current location, economic activities of local communities, population movement patterns, the current outbreak response in the DRC and the likelihood of importation into Uganda. Based on available information, the overall risk was assessed as moderate and 11 districts were identified as high risk.

Based on these findings, the Ministry of Health, WHO and partners reviewed and updated the country's Ebola virus disease contingency plan. The plan builds on lessons from previous Ebola outbreaks and draws from Uganda's ongoing Sudan virus disease recovery plan. It also draws on critical gaps and lessons from a recent simulation exercises.
Health authorities have strengthened screening of travellers at 22 points of entry and at Entebbe International Airport. The Public Health Emergency Operations Centre has been put on alert and is actively monitoring the situation. International Organization for Migration is supporting efforts to map population movements, to better understand potential transmission routes.

"Uganda remains vigilant and proactive. Our strengthened surveillance, updated contingency plans and trained emergency teams reflect our unwavering commitment to safeguarding public health across borders," says Dr Charles Olaro, Director General Health Services at Uganda's Ministry of Health.

In May 2025, Uganda hosted more than 50 participants from 13 other countries in East Africa for a three-day joint simulation on infectious disease outbreak preparedness and response. The training focused on case management, water, sanitation and hygiene measures, infection prevention and control, and logistics. The simulation exercises took place inside the Infectious Diseases Treatment Module, an innovative, rapidly deployable medical facility used in infectious disease outbreak response.

The module is an innovation of WHO and World Food Programme (WFP)'s five-year INITIATE² plan, which brings together emergency response actors, as well as research and academic institutions, to develop innovative and standardized solutions and training to support readiness and response capabilities in health emergencies.

In July 2025, WHO, with funding from the European Union, supported Uganda's Ministry of Health to conduct a full-scale simulation exercise aimed at strengthening Uganda's emergency health response capabilities. Seventy-five emergency medical team members and uniformed personnel participated in the simulation. The scenario replicated the detection, investigation and response to a localized Ebola outbreak and included practical
exercises in all pillars of outbreak response, including psychosocial support and safe and dignified burials.

The most recent outbreak of Ebola in Uganda was declared on 30 January 2025. According to official data, 14 Ebola cases were recorded, 12 confirmed and two probable. Four people died and 10 recovered. More than 500 contacts were identified and monitored. The outbreak was declared over on 26 April 2025.

This was the country's second Ebola event in less than three years.

"Uganda's rapid and coordinated response is thanks to its long-standing expertise in outbreak control," says Dr Kasonde Mwinga, WHO Representative in Uganda. "WHO will continue to support the Ministry of Health to leverage its experience to prepare for future threats."

At a broader level, WHO has assessed the overall public health risk from the outbreak in the DRC as high at national level, moderate at regional level and low globally. WHO is working with authorities in ten neighbouring countries to initiate readiness assessments and contingency planning.