Regional and global public health authorities are scrambling to mount a response after a new Ebola outbreak in Ituri Province in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) that has also spread to Uganda's capital, Kampala.
- •The affected area in DRC is characterised by high population mobility, insecurity, and intense cross-border connectivity with neighbouring countries, including Uganda.
- •At least 246 suspected cases and 65 deaths have been reported, mainly in Mongwalu and Rwampara health zones in Ituri, while two cases (including one death) were confirmed in Kampala among individuals who had just travelled from the DRC.
- •The World Health Organisation has declared the outbreak, the 17th one of an Ebola strain in the DRC, a public health emergency of international concern (PHEIC), but said it does not meet the criteria of pandemic emergency.
“Given the high population movement between affected areas and neighbouring countries, rapid regional coordination is essential. We are working with DRC, Uganda, South Sudan and partners to strengthen surveillance, preparedness and response, and to help contain the outbreak as quickly as possible.” Dr Jean Kaseya, Director General of Africa CDC, said.
Four deaths have been reported among laboratory-confirmed cases while suspected cases have also been reported in Bunia, pending confirmation. The two lab-confirmed cases in Kampala, with no apparent link to each other, were reported within 24 hours of each other, on 15 and 16 May 2026, among two individuals travelling from the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
The last outbreak, in central DRC, was declared over in December 2025 when a 42-day countdown ended after the last patient was discharged in October. A previous outbreak in Uganda ended in April 2025 after four people died and ten recovered, while authorities monitored a total of 534 people who had been in contact with the confirmed and probable cases.
