KAMPALA, UGANDA / MENA Newswire / — Uganda has confirmed six new cases of Ebola, raising the country’s total in the current outbreak to 15, the Ministry of Health said, as authorities continue tracing infections linked to previously confirmed patients. The new cases were identified among known contacts, bringing Uganda’s confirmed toll to one death, two hospital discharges and 12 patients still admitted for care.
The outbreak is caused by Bundibugyo virus, a species of Ebola virus that has been reported in Uganda and the Democratic Republic of Congo during the current regional emergency. Uganda’s latest figures mark an increase from nine confirmed cases reported days earlier, when cases had been recorded in Kampala and Wakiso. Health authorities have linked several infections to travel or contact chains connected with Congo.
Uganda confirmed its outbreak after detecting an imported case from Congo, where the larger outbreak has affected Ituri, North Kivu and South Kivu provinces. The World Health Organization has classified the outbreak in Congo and Uganda as a public health emergency of international concern, with response measures including surveillance, laboratory testing, isolation and care, contact tracing, infection prevention and community engagement.
Confirmed cases rise
Uganda’s latest update said the six new infections were contacts of confirmed cases, indicating that case finding remains focused on known exposure chains. The country has maintained treatment and monitoring for admitted patients while following contacts linked to confirmed infections. Earlier official updates said hundreds of contacts had been identified for follow-up in Uganda, including household and hospital contacts connected to infected patients.
In Congo, confirmed cases have risen sharply since the outbreak was announced, while suspected case counts have shifted as investigations ruled out illnesses that were not confirmed as Ebola. Health authorities there have reported transmission across several health zones, with Ituri province accounting for the largest share of confirmed cases. The outbreak has also involved infections among health workers, underscoring the role of health-care settings in case detection and infection control.
Response focuses on tracing
Bundibugyo virus disease can spread between people through direct contact with blood, secretions, organs or other bodily fluids of infected people, and through contaminated materials. Symptoms can begin with fever, fatigue, muscle pain, headache and sore throat before progressing to vomiting, diarrhoea, organ dysfunction and, in some cases, bleeding. Laboratory confirmation is required because early symptoms can resemble other common febrile illnesses.
The International Organization for Migration has warned that border closures between Uganda and Congo may lead some travelers to use informal crossings that are less monitored. Uganda has said border communities are being sensitized on Ebola risks as authorities seek to limit spread through official health measures. Current control efforts rely on case identification, isolation, clinical care, contact tracing, safe burials and public health messaging.