Uganda’s Ministry of Health, in collaboration with the World Health Organization (WHO) and partners, has intensified efforts to strengthen Ebola outbreak preparedness amid the ongoing outbreak in Kasai Province, Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). The measures include enhanced surveillance, traveler screening, and updated contingency planning to reduce the risk of cross-border transmission. Using WHO’s standardized risk assessment approach, authorities evaluated the outbreak’s severity, potential for illness or death, population movements, economic activities, and ongoing response measures in the DRC. Based on the assessment, the overall risk to Uganda was classified as moderate, with 11 districts identified as high risk.
Following this assessment, Uganda reviewed and updated its Ebola virus disease contingency plan, incorporating lessons from previous outbreaks, the ongoing Sudan virus disease recovery plan, and insights from recent simulation exercises. Screening of travelers has been strengthened at 22 points of entry and at Entebbe International Airport, while the Public Health Emergency Operations Centre remains on alert to monitor developments. The International Organization for Migration is supporting efforts to track population movements to better understand potential transmission routes.
Uganda has also focused on building emergency response capacity through simulation exercises. In May 2025, over 50 participants from 13 East African countries took part in a three-day joint simulation on infectious disease outbreak preparedness, using the innovative Infectious Diseases Treatment Module developed under WHO and WFP’s INITIATE² plan. This facility allows rapid deployment of medical and logistical support during health emergencies. In July 2025, WHO, with EU funding, supported a full-scale simulation in Uganda, engaging 75 emergency medical team members and uniformed personnel in a realistic Ebola outbreak scenario, covering case detection, investigation, response, psychosocial support, and safe burials.
Uganda’s experience in managing Ebola is well-established. The most recent outbreak, declared on 30 January 2025, recorded 14 cases—12 confirmed and two probable—with four deaths and 10 recoveries. Over 500 contacts were identified and monitored, and the outbreak was declared over on 26 April 2025, marking Uganda’s second Ebola event in under three years. WHO praised Uganda’s rapid and coordinated response and continues to support the Ministry of Health in leveraging its expertise for future outbreak readiness.
At the regional level, WHO has assessed the public health risk from the DRC outbreak as high nationally, moderate regionally, and low globally. The organization is working with ten neighboring countries to conduct readiness assessments, update contingency plans, and strengthen cross-border coordination to mitigate the spread of Ebola.
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