Uganda nears Ebola-free status as Nigeria boosts NCDC with ₦10bn amid DRC outbreak
What happened? Uganda discharged its last Ebola patient on Thursday, triggering the WHO’s mandatory 42‑day countdown to declare the outbreak over if no new cases appear. The outbreak recorded 20 confirmed cases – five locally acquired and 15 imported – with 17 recoveries and two deaths. Meanwhile, the Democratic Republic of Congo continues to battle a larger Ebola surge, reporting 2,011 cases and 754 deaths, and still lacks a widely licensed vaccine for the Bundibugyo strain driving the outbreak.
Why does this matter to you? As Nigeria remains a travel and trade hub, the risk of importation persists while the DRC outbreak continues. The country’s proactive response – a Presidential Task Force on Ebola, a ₦10 billion boost to the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control, heightened border surveillance, lab capacity upgrades and rapid‑response teams – aims to keep the virus out. Knowing Uganda may soon be Ebola‑free helps gauge regional risk, while the DRC situation underscores the need for continued vigilance.
What should you know or do? Stay tuned to NCDC advisories, practice good hand hygiene, report any fever or unexplained bleeding after travel to affected areas, and follow official travel advisories. If Uganda records no new cases, the country could be declared Ebola‑free around late August 2026; until then, support public‑health measures and avoid non‑essential travel to outbreak zones.