Health officials in Uganda have confirmed three additional cases of Ebola virus disease, pushing the country’s total number of infections in the current outbreak to five.
The latest patients include a Ugandan driver, a medical worker, and a woman from the Democratic Republic of the Congo, where the current outbreak is believed to have begun. Authorities say all three are still alive and receiving medical attention.
Health officials explained that the new infections are linked to cross-border movement between eastern Congo and Uganda, where surveillance has been tightened following earlier confirmed cases. Uganda has already taken steps to reduce spread, including limiting transport links with affected border areas.
The situation has raised concern across the region after the World Health Organization upgraded its risk assessment for the outbreak in Congo to the highest alert level. While the regional risk across central Africa is now considered high, global risk remains low.
The WHO says the outbreak is concentrated in eastern Congo, where health teams are working in difficult conditions marked by insecurity and limited access. Contact tracing and containment efforts are ongoing as authorities try to slow transmission.
Two of the new cases in Uganda are linked to direct exposure to infected individuals who travelled from Congo.
The third case involves a Congolese woman who was treated in Kampala for unrelated health issues before later testing positive after returning home.
Officials in the DRC report that the outbreak continues to spread in parts of the east, with dozens of confirmed infections and additional suspected cases under investigation. The Bundibugyo strain of the virus is responsible for the outbreak, a type of Ebola for which no approved vaccine or specific treatment is currently available.
WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus has described the situation as particularly challenging due to ongoing insecurity in affected regions and difficulties reaching communities at risk.
Health authorities in both countries continue to monitor contacts of confirmed patients as efforts intensify to prevent further regional spread.
