Ugandan health officials report new Ebola virus infections, bringing
cases to 7
[May 26, 2026]
By RODNEY MUHUMUZA
KAMPALA, Uganda (AP) — Ugandan health authorities on Monday reported two
new Ebola cases, bringing the number of infections to seven.
All the cases are linked to the outbreak in neighboring Congo, which
appears to have started several days or weeks before Congolese
authorities declared it on May 15.
A 59-year-old Congolese man was admitted to a hospital in Kampala, the
Ugandan capital, on May 11, and died three days later, before it was
known he was suffering from the Ebola virus. Two other Congolese
nationals who sought medical care in Uganda later tested positive for
Ebola.
Ugandan health authorities on Saturday confirmed the first local
infections: a driver and a health worker exposed to the Congolese
patient who died on May 11. Two more health workers at a private
hospital in Kampala have since tested positive, the Ministry of Health
said Monday.
“Both patients have been admitted to the designated treatment unit and
are now receiving care,” Dr. Charles Olaro, the national director of
health services, said in a statement.
President Yoweri Museveni has urged Ugandans to “ stop shaking hands ”
as part of measures to avoid infection. He also ordered the postponement
of an annual religious event that attracts thousands of pilgrims, from
Congo and elsewhere, who converge around a Catholic basilica just
outside Kampala by June 3.
Other measures include the temporary suspension of all public
transportation and flights between Congo and Uganda.
In Congo, suspected Ebola cases have topped 900, mainly in eastern Ituri
province where the ongoing outbreak is centered, authorities said
Sunday. The response has been hampered by fear, anger and frustration
among locals including attacks on treatment centers, as well as distrust
of authorities in a region long plagued by armed violence.
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People walk out of the Ministry of Health's Headquarters in Kampala,
Uganda, Tuesday, May 19, 2026. (AP Photo/Hajarah Nalwadda)
 Congo has had more than a dozen
Ebola outbreaks over the decades. Health experts say international
aid cuts last year by the United States and other rich nations are
devastating for eastern Congo because of the region's unique
problems.
Aid groups fighting this Ebola outbreak say they don’t have the
equipment they need, such as face shields and suits to protect
health workers from infection, testing kits, and body bags and other
materials needed to safely bury the bodies of victims, which can be
highly contagious.
The Bundibugyo type of Ebola virus responsible for the outbreak has
no approved vaccine or treatment. The outbreak has been declared a
global health emergency.
Tracing and isolating Ebola contacts is seen as key to stopping the
spread of the disease, which usually manifests as hemorrhagic fever.
A family of fruit bats is believed to be the natural hosts of the
viruses that cause Ebola, according to the World Health
Organization. Ebola is spread by contact with the bodily fluids of
an infected person or contaminated materials.
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