Uganda Reports New Ebola Case, Raising Total to 20

Uganda has detected a new case of the Ebola virus, breaking a nearly three-week streak of no new infections since the last confirmed case on June 5, 2026. This latest detection brings the total confirmed Ebola cases in the country to 20.

Sources within the Ministry of Health indicate that the new patient is connected to a Congolese national, a pattern seen in several previous cases during the current outbreak. Despite this new case, health officials maintain that the outbreak is largely under control.

Dr. Charles Olaro, Director General of Health Services, emphasized that surveillance remains vigilant to curb any potential spread. He reassured the public that no new locally transmitted cases have been identified within Ugandan communities. The current number of patients receiving treatment has now risen to four, with nine contacts still undergoing follow-up monitoring.

Significant progress has been made in managing contacts, with 817 individuals successfully completing their 21-day monitoring period and being cleared. Additionally, health authorities have investigated over 600 community alerts, none of which were linked to the Ebola virus.

The current outbreak in Uganda involves the Bundibugyo strain of Ebola, and to date, two deaths have been recorded. While Uganda’s case numbers remain manageable, the neighboring Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) continues to face a more severe situation.

As of Monday, the DRC has reported 1,003 confirmed cases of Ebola. The Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) statistics show that the DRC has recorded 81 recoveries and a cumulative total of 254 confirmed deaths, with over 6,500 contacts under observation.

This information was reported by The Observer (Uganda).