KAMPALA, Uganda — Uganda has moved to reassure its citizens that the country has no confirmed active Ebola cases following Nigeria’s detection of the virus in a woman who recently travelled through Uganda.
The Ugandan Ministry of Health says the patient’s travel history should not be taken as evidence that she contracted the infection within its borders, insisting that investigations are still underway to establish the source.
The development has drawn regional attention after Nigerian authorities confirmed the Ebola Bundibugyo virus infection in Abuja on October 20, 2026, raising fresh concerns about the spread of the outbreak beyond Central and East Africa.
Ugandan health officials said the woman had travelled to eastern Democratic Republic of Congo for business before passing through Uganda in early October. She reportedly showed no symptoms during her transit and became ill after arriving in Nigeria.
However, authorities have yet to establish precisely where she was exposed to the virus, leaving her travel history a key part of ongoing investigations.
In Nigeria, the infected woman has been placed in isolation and is receiving medical care. Health officials have identified 44 contacts for monitoring as they intensify efforts to prevent further transmission.
The World Health Organization is supporting the response as authorities work to reconstruct the patient’s movements and determine whether additional people may have been exposed.
Uganda’s reassurance comes months after the country dealt with Ebola cases linked largely to the outbreak in neighbouring Democratic Republic of Congo. It was subsequently declared free of the disease in August 2026.
The latest case in Nigeria underscores the importance of regional coordination, particularly as people move across borders for business, travel and other activities.
For now, Ugandan authorities are urging the public to remain calm while maintaining vigilance, as investigations continue to determine the origin of the infection.
The immediate priority for health agencies is to establish the patient’s exposure history, monitor identified contacts and prevent the virus from spreading further.