Ugandan health officials report new Ebola virus infections, bringing cases to 7

Ugandan health authorities on Monday (May 25, 2026) reported two new Ebola cases, bringing the number of infections to seven.

Also read | New Ebola outbreak shows how market failure delays vaccine research 

All the cases are linked to the outbreak in neighbouring Congo, which appears to have started several days or weeks before Congolese authorities declared it on May 15, 2026.

A 59-year-old Congolese man was admitted to a hospital in Kampala, the Ugandan capital, on May 11, 2026, and died three days later, before it was known that he was suffering from the Ebola virus. Two other Congolese nationals who sought medical care in Uganda later tested positive for Ebola.

Ugandan health authorities on Saturday (May 23, 2026) confirmed the first local infections: a driver and a health worker exposed to the Congolese patient who died on May 11, 2026. Two more health workers at a private hospital in Kampala have tested positive, the Ministry of Health said Monday (May 25, 2026).

In Congo, suspected Ebola cases have topped 900, mainly in the eastern Ituri Province, where the ongoing outbreak is centred, authorities said on Sunday (May 24, 2026). The response has been hampered by fear, anger, and frustration among locals, including attacks on treatment centres, as well as distrust of authorities in a region long plagued by armed violence.

The outbreak has been declared a global health emergency. The Bundibugyo type of Ebola virus responsible for the outbreak has no approved vaccine or treatment.