Uganda

Uganda Ends Ebola, DRC Outbreak Tops 5.6K Cases

Is DRC's Ebola crisis a containable outbreak or a symptom of a collapsing system?

Published AUG 27

Uganda Ends Ebola, DRC Outbreak Tops 5.6K Cases

Story

Above: Uganda Red Cross Society workers in Kampala, Uganda, on May 26. Image credit: Badru Katumba/AFP/Getty Images

The Facts

The World Health Organization (WHO) confirmed on Wednesday that Uganda's Bundibugyo Ebola outbreak is over, but cautioned that the deadly virus is continuing to spread in the neighboring Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).
The Straits Times
Al Jazeera
Briefing the WHO African Region, Dr. Marie Roseline Belizaire said Wednesday marked the 42nd day since Uganda discharged the last confirmed case from treatment, equivalent to two full incubation cycles and signaling the end of its outbreak.
WHO African Region on Youtube
Uganda's Ministry of Health, which originally declared the country Ebola-free on July 28, has recorded just 20 confirmed cases since announcing an outbreak on May 15, including only two deaths.
Ministry of Health - Uganda
WHO
European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control
In the DRC, however, Belizaire warned that while the disease's progression had slowed, noting improvements in monitoring and preparedness, "transmission remains very active," adding that the response had yet to bend the DRC's epidemic curve.
WHO African Region on Youtube
As of Monday, the DRC had reported 5,666 confirmed cases, including 2,715 deaths, with a fatality rate of 48%, making it the deadliest outbreak in the country's history and the second-largest on record. Nevertheless, 1,245 patients have recovered from the disease.
WHO African Region on Youtube
China Daily
Looking ahead, Belizaire said that with the malady now contained in Uganda, the WHO considers the Central African Republic at the highest risk of a spillover, followed by South Sudan, as the DRC outbreak has traveled northwest to border areas.
WHO African Region on Youtube

Sources Split

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CENTER

RIGHT

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The Spin

Narrative A

With the outbreak now over in Uganda, the WHO and its partners will turn their full attention to controlling the disease in the DRC, where it continues to spread. Already, WHO-led action has slowed its spread, with substantial improvements in surveillance and preparedness. Committing further resources to the fight will only enhance these outcomes.

Diana Atwine on X

WHO African Region on Youtube

Narrative B

Treating the DRC's Ebola crisis as a standalone outbreak misses the deeper collapse driving it: the armed conflict, mass displacement and slashed aid funding that have gutted health systems holding everything together. Pouring money into a single-disease response without fixing these broken foundations will undermine the effectiveness of any health intervention.