Uganda confirms three new Ebola cases

KAMPALA - Uganda has confirmed three new Ebola Virus Disease cases, including a health worker and a driver linked to the country’s first confirmed patient, bringing the total number of infections to five as health authorities intensify surveillance and containment measures.

In a statement issued on May 23, the Ministry of Health states that the newly confirmed cases include a Ugandan driver who transported the country’s first Ebola patient and a Ugandan health worker who was exposed while caring for the same patient.

The ministry said both patients had already been identified as contacts under follow-up and are currently receiving treatment in isolation facilities established to manage Ebola cases.

 “The two cases were identified from known contacts under follow-up,” said Prof. Charles Olaro, the Director General Health Services at the Ministry of Health.

Olaro said the third confirmed patient is a Congolese woman who travelled to Uganda from the Democratic Republic of Congo while experiencing mild abdominal symptoms before later testing positive for Ebola.

According to the ministry, the woman travelled from Arua to Entebbe aboard a chartered flight before seeking treatment at a private hospital in Kampala on May 10, where she was treated and discharged four days later after showing signs of improvement.

The ministry said the patient later returned to the DRC before Ugandan surveillance teams received information from the pilot who had transported her, triggering investigations and laboratory testing that later confirmed Ebola infection.

“Subsequently, the Ministry of Health received a tip-off from the pilot who had airlifted her, prompting further follow-up by surveillance teams,” the ministry said.

The Ministry of Health said all contacts linked to the confirmed cases have since been traced and placed under close monitoring and follow-up as part of efforts to prevent further spread of the virus.

The ministry reassured the public that Uganda has the technical capacity, surveillance systems and outbreak response experience needed to control the spread of Ebola, citing the country’s history of successfully containing previous outbreaks.

Uganda has already activated rapid response teams, intensified border screening and expanded surveillance across high-risk districts, particularly along the Uganda-DRC border.

Isolation and treatment centres have also been established at Mulago National Referral Hospital, Entebbe Regional Referral Hospital and other designated facilities, especially at the border points, to manage confirmed and suspected Ebola cases.

Olaro urged the public to remain vigilant and immediately report suspected symptoms, warning that early detection and treatment significantly improve survival chances.

Common Ebola symptoms include sudden fever, severe body weakness, vomiting, diarrhoea, chest pain, severe headache, unexplained bleeding and yellowing of the eyes.

The Ministry of Health has also directed schools across the country to strengthen Ebola prevention measures ahead of full reopening for Term II on May 25

Under the new school guidelines, all institutions are required to establish handwashing facilities, screening points and isolation areas for suspected cases while discouraging handshakes, hugging and sharing of personal items among learners.

School administrators have additionally been instructed to immediately report any learner or staff member showing Ebola-like symptoms to district surveillance teams and the Ministry of Health.

Beyond schools, government has rolled out broader public health Standard Operating Procedures targeting markets, churches, public transport, funerals and other mass gatherings.

The public has been advised to avoid physical greetings such as handshakes and hugging, wash hands regularly with soap or alcohol-based sanitisers, avoid touching sick persons or bodies of suspected Ebola victims and seek immediate medical attention for anyone showing symptoms.

Transport operators have also been instructed to regularly disinfect vehicles and avoid transporting visibly sick passengers, while places of worship have been advised to suspend close-contact prayer practices and laying hands on worshippers during services.

“The Ministry of Health urges all members of the public to remain calm, vigilant, and continue observing all recommended preventive measures,” Prof. Olaro said.

Uganda continues to monitor the outbreak closely as regional concern grows over the worsening Ebola situation in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, where hundreds of suspected infections and deaths have already been reported.