Uganda discharges 60 contacts of Kenyan Ebola patient after 21-day quarantine

Uganda has discharged all 60 contacts of a Kenyan Ebola patient after they completed 21 days of monitoring without developing symptoms or testing positive for the disease.

Health Minister Dr Chris Baryomunsi announced the development on October 25, 2026, during a briefing at the Uganda Media Centre. He said Uganda remains free of Ebola.

The contacts included staff at entry and exit points, hotel workers and transport operators who interacted with the Kenyan traveller during his journey through Uganda.

Baryomunsi said health teams reconstructed the patient’s movements after Kenya announced that he had tested positive for Ebola.

“Once we had that information, we reconstructed the travel history of that Kenyan and were able to identify all the contacts, up to sixty of them, and they have been under isolation,” he said.

“They have completed the mandatory 21 days of follow-up. None of them developed symptoms or tested positive for Ebola.”

The minister described the completion of monitoring as a significant milestone in Uganda’s precautionary response. He credited health workers who traced the contacts and checked on them daily.

Uganda declared an outbreak of Bundibugyo Ebola on May 15, 2026, following infections involving DR Congo nationals who crossed into the country seeking treatment.

Baryomunsi said a coordinated response interrupted local transmission, allowing Uganda to declare the outbreak over on July 28, 2026.

“Since then, Uganda has not recorded another confirmed case. Uganda has remained Ebola-free up to now. Let your hearts be settled,” he said.

However, he warned that continued transmission in neighbouring DR Congo still poses a risk. Trade, travel and family ties keep communities on both sides of the border closely connected.

He said Uganda would maintain preparedness and early detection while supporting Congolese health teams to contain transmission.

Meanwhile, Baryomunsi addressed the Nigerian woman who tested positive for Ebola after travelling through Uganda. He said investigations were continuing with Nigerian health authorities and international partners.

Investigators are examining available genomic sequencing findings and verifying her travel history, interactions and activities in Uganda before her journey to Abuja. The ministry will release the findings later.

The minister also dismissed reports of Ebola cases and deaths in Kasese and other districts bordering DR Congo.

“I would like to inform the public that Kasese has no confirmed Ebola cases or deaths from the disease,” he said.