Uganda has confirmed three additional Ebola cases, bringing the current outbreak total to five as authorities step up contact tracing. The WHO has declared the Bundibugyo-strain outbreak a Public Health Emergency of International Concern and warns the DRC faces a "very high" risk of a national epidemic. Nearly 750 suspected cases and 177 suspected deaths have been reported in the DRC. The new Ugandan cases include a driver, a health worker and a Congolese woman; all identified contacts are being monitored.
Uganda Confirms Three New Ebola Cases — Total Now Five as Contact Tracing Intensifies
Workers stand guard at the gate of the Kibuli Muslim Hospital where a Congolese man died of Ebola Bundibugyo virus in Kibuli suburb of Kampala, Uganda May 16, 2026. REUTERS/Abubaker Lubowa
Uganda's health ministry confirmed three additional Ebola infections on Saturday, raising the country's total in the current outbreak to five as authorities ramp up contact tracing to limit further spread.
The World Health Organization has declared the outbreak of the uncommon Bundibugyo strain a Public Health Emergency of International Concern and warned that the risk of a national epidemic in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) remains "very high." Health officials reported that nearly 750 suspected cases and 177 suspected deaths have been recorded in the DRC, the epicentre of the outbreak.
The WHO has cited several factors that increase the DRC's vulnerability, including delayed case detection, the absence of a vaccine or virus-specific treatments for this strain, widespread armed conflict and high population mobility across border regions.
Of the three new cases in Uganda, one is a driver who transported the country’s first confirmed patient and another is a health worker who was exposed while caring for that initial case. Both were identified through contact tracing and have been admitted for treatment, the ministry said.
The third case involves a woman from the DRC who crossed into Uganda with mild abdominal symptoms, travelled from Arua near the border to Entebbe, and later sought care at a private hospital in Kampala. After initially improving and returning to the DRC, she subsequently tested positive following follow-up testing prompted by a tip-off from a pilot involved in her transport.
All identified contacts linked to the confirmed cases are under close surveillance, the ministry added, and the public has been urged to remain vigilant and report any suspected symptoms immediately.
Reporting: Shubham Kalia in Bengaluru. Writing: Bate Felix. Editing: Kevin Liffey.
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