Kampala: Uganda on Tuesday declared the end of its Ebola outbreak, stating that the country is now Ebola-free. "The Ministry of Health is pleased to announce that Uganda has officially declared the end of the 2026 Ebola Disease outbreak. Uganda is Ebola-free," Health Minister Chris Baryomunsi told reporters in the capital.

According to Anadolu Agency, the declaration follows the completion of the mandatory 42-day monitoring period, which ended after the discharge of the last Ebola patient. Health officials have confirmed that no new cases have been reported since June, when the last case was released from the quarantine facility.

The World Health Organization (WHO) had previously declared the Ebola outbreak in Uganda a Public Health Emergency of International Concern in May. Originating from the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, the outbreak infected 20 people and resulted in two fatalities.

Ebola is a severe and often fatal viral disease that was first identified in 1976. It is believed to originate in wild animals, particularly bats, and spreads to humans through direct contact with bodily fluids such as blood, vomit, and semen, as well as contaminated materials like bedding and clothing. Symptoms of the disease include fever, vomiting, diarrhoea, intense weakness, muscle pain, and in severe cases, internal and external bleeding.

The current outbreak was caused by the Bundibugyo strain, which was first identified in Uganda in 2007. There is currently no vaccine or specific treatment for this strain.