Uganda’s Ministry of Health confirmed on Tuesday that three additional cases of Ebola had been detected in the country, pushing the total number of confirmed infections to five. The announcement came as the World Health Organization warned that the outbreak, centred in the Democratic Republic of Congo but spreading across porous borders, posed a risk that extended well beyond the region.
The new cases were identified in the Kasese district, which borders the DRC and has been on high alert since the outbreak was declared in March. Health authorities said all three patients had crossed into Uganda from Congo in recent weeks, and that contact tracing was underway to identify and monitor anyone who may have been exposed.
“We have activated all outbreak response protocols,” said Dr. Henry Mwebesa, Director General of Health Services in Uganda. “Our teams are on the ground, conducting surveillance, and ensuring that anyone who may have come into contact with these patients receives follow-up care.”
A Worrying Spread Pattern
The Uganda cases add to a troubling picture that has emerged across Central and East Africa over the past two months. The current outbreak is caused by the Bundibugyo strain of the Ebola virus, a variant that has no approved vaccine and carries a fatality rate of up to 50 percent. Unlike the more widely known Zaire strain, which has been targeted by experimental vaccine campaigns in past outbreaks, Bundibugyo has remained relatively neglected by pharmaceutical research.
The World Health Organization has classified the risk level as “very high” in affected areas, noting that active transmission chains are continuing in eastern Congo and that cross-border movement, driven by trade, family visits, and in some cases the displacement of civilians fleeing conflict, remains difficult to contain.
Uganda’s experience with Ebola is extensive. The country suffered two major outbreaks between 2000 and 2019, the worst of which killed more than 200 people. Health workers there have developed protocols and expertise that many other African nations lack, and the government has moved quickly to isolate patients and establish treatment units. But the current strain presents different challenges, and the absence of a proven vaccine complicates the response.
Neighbouring Countries on Edge
Kenya, Tanzania, Rwanda, and South Sudan have all issued health alerts and strengthened screening at border crossings. The East African Community bloc has called for coordinated action, while the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention convened an emergency meeting last week to review preparedness across the region.
The timing could not be worse. Several of the most affected areas in eastern Congo are controlled by armed groups, making it nearly impossible for health workers to reach villages that have reported suspected cases. In some districts, entire communities have been displaced, creating a mobile population that can carry the virus across borders without knowing they are infected.
“The challenge is not just medical,” said Dr. John Baptist Ndagijimana, a public health specialist based in Kampala. “It is logistical, it is security-related, and in many places it is a problem of public trust. When people do not believe the virus is real, they avoid health facilities and continue to care for sick family members in ways that accelerate transmission.”
The Race for a Vaccine
UK scientists announced this week that they are accelerating work on a Bundibugyo-specific vaccine, with trials potentially beginning within months. But even an accelerated timeline means months before a vaccine could be deployed at scale, and in the meantime, the outbreak continues to spread.
For Uganda, the immediate priority is containment. The five confirmed cases are being treated in isolation units, and authorities say the transmission chain is understood. But as the Kasese district settles into an uneasy calm, the broader question remains unresolved: how long can East Africa keep this outbreak from becoming a full-scale regional crisis?