Uganda has declared an end to its latest Ebola outbreak after completing the mandatory 42-day monitoring period without detecting any new locally transmitted cases.
Health Minister Chris Baryomunsi announced the declaration on Tuesday, marking the conclusion of an outbreak that infected 20 people and claimed two lives.
The announcement followed nationwide surveillance conducted after the discharge of the last Ugandan national who had contracted the virus through local transmission on June 16, 2026.
The last Ebola patient in Uganda, a Congolese national, was discharged on June 22.
Baryomunsi said the declaration followed the "successful completion of the mandatory 42-day monitoring period which begun after the discharge of the last Ugandan national, a locally transmitted patient, on the 16 of June, 2026."
He added, "Throughout this period the Ministry of Health maintained intensive surveillance nationwide and no new Ebola cases have been detected."
Of the 20 confirmed cases recorded during the outbreak, 18 patients recovered and were discharged, while two people died.
Both fatalities were nationals of the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
Uganda has experienced multiple Ebola outbreaks since recording its first epidemic in 2000, with health authorities saying experience gained over the years has helped contain recent outbreaks quickly and limit community transmission.
Officials also note that the country's tropical forests, home to fruit bats that naturally carry the virus, leave Uganda vulnerable to recurring outbreaks.
Following the announcement, Baryomunsi urged the public to remain alert and continue observing public health measures.
The declaration comes as neighbouring Democratic Republic of the Congo continues to battle a significantly larger Ebola outbreak.
According to Congolese health authorities, at least 3,262 infections and 1,437 deaths have been recorded during the epidemic.
The World Health Organization has described the current outbreak as the fastest spreading on record and said its true scale could be considerably larger than reported.
The virus involved is the Bundibugyo strain, a rare Ebola variant for which there are currently no approved vaccines or treatments.
Ebola spreads through direct contact with infected bodily fluids and can cause fever, diarrhoea, vomiting and internal bleeding.