Uganda confirmed three additional Ebola infections on Saturday, May 23, 2026, raising the country’s total confirmed cases to five since the outbreak was first detected on May 15, 2026.
The Ministry of Health said the new cases involve a Ugandan truck driver, a Ugandan health worker and a Congolese woman. All three patients are alive and receiving treatment in isolation.
Authorities said the truck driver was infected after transporting a confirmed Ebola patient who had crossed into Uganda from the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), where the outbreak originated.
The health worker contracted the virus while treating the same patient, highlighting ongoing exposure risks among frontline medical staff.
The Congolese woman initially sought treatment in Kampala for abdominal illness and was discharged in stable condition on May 14, 2026, before later testing positive for Ebola after returning to the DRC.
Health officials said contact tracing is ongoing, with all identified contacts placed under close monitoring to contain further transmission.
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The outbreak is linked to the rare Bundibugyo strain of Ebola, which currently has no approved vaccine or specific treatment.
The World Health Organization has classified the situation in the DRC as a very high national risk, with a high regional risk for Central Africa and a low global risk. The outbreak has spread in eastern DRC since early May 2026.
As of May 21, 2026, more than 80 confirmed cases and several deaths had been recorded in the DRC, alongside hundreds of suspected cases still under investigation.
At least 10 African countries are considered at risk of cross-border spread, including Angola, Burundi, Central African Republic, Republic of Congo, Ethiopia, Kenya, Rwanda, South Sudan, Tanzania and Zambia.
Uganda earlier suspended transport links with the DRC following its first Ebola-related death involving a Congolese national linked to cross-border movement.
Health authorities warn that Ebola spreads through direct contact with infected bodily fluids and can cause severe illness, including organ failure and high fatality rates if not rapidly contained.