WHO chief visits Uganda, says Ebola can be controlled

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The World Health Organisation (WHO) Director-General, Dr Adhanom Ghebreyesus Tedros, has visited Uganda’s Ebola Treatment Centre at Mulago Hospital in Kampala as part of efforts to assess the country’s response to the ongoing Ebola outbreak in the region.

The visit on Monday, June 8, 2026, came shortly after Tedros travelled to Ituri Province in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), the epicentre of the outbreak, where he also assessed response efforts in the area.

“I am in Uganda, where the Government has mounted a prompt and capable response to the outbreak of Ebola,” Tedros said.

He noted that border screening has helped detect cases coming from the neighboring DRC, and that Uganda’s surveillance, testing, and case management systems are functioning steadily.

Of the 19 confirmed cases in Uganda so far, 14 people are Congolese nationals who entered Uganda from DRC, while five are Ugandan nationals. Two people from DRC have died. Tedros extended his condolences to the families of the deceased.

“WHO is supporting Uganda, alongside Africa CDC (Centres for Disease Control) and partners across the region, as the country leads this response. With continued collaboration, I am confident this outbreak can be brought under control,” he said.

Dr Diana Atwine, Permanent Secretary of Uganda's Ministry of Health, welcomed Tedros to the ministry, saying his visit aims at strengthening cross-border coordination to prevent further spread of Ebola.

“We thank him and WHO for their continued support and commitment to strengthening our preparedness and response efforts,” Atwine said.

The outbreak involves the Ebola Bundibugyo virus, a rare strain that was discovered in 2007.

Following the outbreak of the Bundibugyo strain this year, three experimental vaccines are being fast-tracked for development. The Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI) announced it will support these vaccines, including one developed by the Oxford Vaccine Group at the University of Oxford in the UK.

The candidates, using different vaccine technologies, have shown potential to protect against the virus, with one based on the same technology as the Oxford-AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine.