The milestone follows the discharge of Uganda’s last Ebola patient, an imported case, on July 16, 2026. The 42-day period is equivalent to twice the upper limit of Ebola’s incubation period and is the internationally established benchmark for confirming that transmission linked to an outbreak has ended.
Uganda declared the interruption of local transmission on July 28 after completing the 42-day period without a locally acquired case. Surveillance and other outbreak control measures continued following the discharge of the last patient.
“Uganda has demonstrated that with decisive action, Ebola outbreaks can be brought under control quickly,” WHO Director-General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said in a statement released on Thursday.
Uganda reported 20 confirmed Ebola cases caused by the Bundibugyo virus after declaring the outbreak on May 15. Of these, 15 were imported from the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), while five were locally acquired among contacts and health workers linked to imported cases.
Eighteen patients recovered while two died. More than 800 contacts were identified and monitored during the outbreak.
WHO and Africa CDC credited strong government leadership, early case detection, contact tracing, isolation and treatment, infection prevention and control, community engagement and strengthened surveillance at health facilities and points of entry for helping Uganda contain the outbreak.
Africa CDC Director-General Dr Jean Kaseya said Uganda had demonstrated that Ebola can be stopped when governments act decisively and public health systems respond quickly.
The declaration comes as the DRC continues to battle an Ebola outbreak, with 5,656 confirmed cases and 2,715 confirmed deaths reported as of August 24, according to the additional data provided.
WHO warned that Uganda and other neighbouring countries remain at risk of imported cases because of close social and economic ties, cross-border movement and trade.
The UN health agency said it does not recommend travel or trade restrictions in response to Ebola outbreaks, including suspending flights, closing borders or denying entry to travellers from affected countries.
Instead, countries are encouraged to maintain travel and trade while strengthening disease surveillance, testing, rapid investigation of alerts, infection prevention and control, community engagement and cross-border coordination.
“Ending an Ebola outbreak is an important milestone, but the lasting achievement is a stronger ability to protect people from future health threats,” said Dr Mohamed Janabi, WHO Regional Director for Africa.
WHO and Africa CDC said they will continue supporting Uganda and the DRC under a joint continental preparedness and response plan, with ending Ebola transmission in the DRC remaining a priority for protecting communities across the region.
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