{"id":2581,"date":"2026-07-28T12:44:31","date_gmt":"2026-07-28T12:44:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/thedawnrwanda.com\/?p=2581"},"modified":"2026-07-28T12:44:31","modified_gmt":"2026-07-28T12:44:31","slug":"uganda-ends-ebola-outbreak-as-deadly-surge-grips-neighboring-dr-congo","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thedawnrwanda.com\/index.php\/2026\/07\/28\/uganda-ends-ebola-outbreak-as-deadly-surge-grips-neighboring-dr-congo\/politics\/regional\/","title":{"rendered":"Uganda ends Ebola outbreak as deadly surge grips neighboring DR Congo"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"736\" height=\"490\" src=\"https:\/\/thedawnrwanda.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/badru-katumba-afp-via-getty-images.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-2582\" style=\"width:750px;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/thedawnrwanda.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/badru-katumba-afp-via-getty-images.jpg 736w, https:\/\/thedawnrwanda.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/badru-katumba-afp-via-getty-images-300x200.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 736px) 100vw, 736px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Uganda has declared the end of its Ebola outbreak after containing the virus within weeks, while neighboring Democratic Republic of Congo struggles with a rapidly worsening crisis that has killed more than 1,400 people and overwhelmed response efforts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Uganda\u2019s Ministry of Health said Friday that it had completed the required 42-day monitoring period without detecting any new infections, allowing the country to be declared Ebola-free. The outbreak, announced in May, recorded 20 confirmed cases, with 18 recoveries and two deaths.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Health Minister Chris Baryomunsi said the declaration followed the successful completion of surveillance after the last locally transmitted patient was discharged on June 16.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThroughout this period the Ministry of Health maintained intensive surveillance nationwide and no new Ebola cases have been detected,\u201d Baryomunsi said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Most of Uganda\u2019s cases were linked to cross-border transmission from DR Congo, with 15 of the confirmed infections involving people exposed to the virus there. Officials said the source of infection was identified, contacts were monitored and there was no evidence of continued transmission.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The announcement comes as Ebola spreads rapidly in eastern DR Congo, where authorities have reported more than 3,200 confirmed cases and at least 1,405 deaths. Nearly 90% of infections have been recorded in Ituri province, which borders Uganda and South Sudan, according to the World Health Organization.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The outbreak in DR Congo has become one of the fastest-growing Ebola outbreaks recorded, with cases increasing by about 1,000 in just 10 days, according to government data.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThe fact that, in just ten weeks, we have reached nearly the same number of cases recorded over an almost two-year outbreak is alarming,\u201d said Onesphore Bangenza, Ebola response team leader with Mercy Corps in Bunia, Ituri.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Aid groups have warned that weakened health systems, insecurity and reduced international health funding have limited the ability to detect and contain infections early. The outbreak is caused by the Bundibugyo strain of Ebola, for which there is currently no approved vaccine or specific treatment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Uganda\u2019s health authorities said surveillance would continue despite the outbreak declaration, as officials monitor developments across the border and prepare for possible imported cases.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Uganda has declared the end of its Ebola outbreak after containing the virus within weeks, while neighboring Democratic Republic of Congo struggles with a rapidly [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2582,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[49,43,51,41,39,42,35],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2581","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-africa-news","category-current_affairs","category-health","category-hot_topics","category-live_updates","category-news_highlights","category-regional"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/thedawnrwanda.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2581","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/thedawnrwanda.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/thedawnrwanda.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thedawnrwanda.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thedawnrwanda.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2581"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/thedawnrwanda.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2581\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2583,"href":"https:\/\/thedawnrwanda.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2581\/revisions\/2583"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thedawnrwanda.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2582"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/thedawnrwanda.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2581"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thedawnrwanda.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2581"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thedawnrwanda.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2581"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}