16 articles · Updated · The Associated Press · May 25
Two new infections in Kampala raised Uganda’s Ebola caseload to seven, with the latest patients identified as health workers at a private hospital.
All seven cases trace back to Congo’s outbreak, including a 59-year-old Congolese man admitted on May 11 who died before Ebola was recognized, plus other Congolese patients and exposed Ugandan staff.
Uganda has admitted the two new patients to a designated treatment unit, while President Yoweri Museveni urged people to stop shaking hands, postponed a major June 3 religious pilgrimage and suspended public transport and flights with Congo.
In Congo, suspected Ebola cases have exceeded 900 in Ituri province, where attacks on treatment centers, distrust of authorities and aid shortages are hampering the response.
The Bundibugyo strain driving the outbreak has no approved vaccine or treatment, making contact tracing and isolation critical as the emergency spreads across the border.
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2026 DRC-Uganda Ebola Crisis: Bundibugyo Strain Drives Third Largest Outbreak Amid Conflict and Vaccine Shortfall
Overview
A major Ebola outbreak was confirmed in the Democratic Republic of Congo in May 2026, quickly escalating to become the third largest on record. The World Health Organization recognized the severity and declared it a Public Health Emergency of International Concern as cases and deaths surged. The outbreak soon spread to neighboring Uganda, raising the total confirmed cases there and putting other bordering countries at high risk. The crisis is made worse by the involvement of the Bundibugyo virus strain, for which no vaccine exists, making containment especially challenging and highlighting urgent gaps in preparedness and response.