Health 26 May 2026 Daily Monitor (Uganda)
Uganda Discharges First Ebola Patient Amidst Ongoing Outbreak
Health officials in Uganda have announced the recovery and discharge of an Ebola patient, marking the first successful treatment in the current outbreak of the Ebola Bundibugyo strain. Four other cases remain active. Source: https://www.monitor.co.ug/uganda/news/national/uganda-discharges-ebola-patient-as-officials-report-four-active-cases-5474714
Uganda has successfully treated and discharged its second confirmed Ebola patient, signaling a positive development in the ongoing outbreak of the Ebola Bundibugyo virus. The Ministry of Health confirmed the patient, a woman, tested negative for the virus twice before being released from an isolation facility.
“She has now been discharged because she has tested negative for Ebola two times, which means that she is now free from Ebola,” stated Charles Olaro, Uganda’s Director General of Health Services. This marks the first recovery in the current outbreak, which has seen a total of seven confirmed cases so far.
The country is currently managing four active cases, with over 100 contacts under quarantine. The first confirmed case, who had traveled from the Democratic Republic of Congo, died in Kampala earlier this month.
Officials emphasized that treatment for the Bundibugyo strain is primarily supportive, as there are currently no specific vaccines or therapeutics available for this particular virus. “If the patients are identified early and we start the supportive systems, the chances of surviving are much higher,” Dr. Olaro noted.
Uganda has heightened surveillance and containment efforts, particularly due to concerns about cross-border transmission from neighboring eastern Congo. Previous outbreaks of the Bundibugyo strain have had fatality rates ranging from 30% to 50%.