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SITUATION OVERVIEW
On 30 January 2025, the Ministry of Health declared an outbreak of Sudan Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) in Kampala District. This declaration followed confirmation from three national laboratories: the Central Public Health Laboratories, the Uganda Virus Research Institute, and Makerere University Laboratories.
The index case was a 32-year-old male nurse employed at Mulago National Referral Hospital. He initially presented fever-like symptoms and sought treatment from multiple health facilities, including Mulago National Referral Hospital in Kampala, Saidina Abubakar Islamic Hospital in Matunga, Wakiso District, and Mbale Regional Referral Hospital, as well as from a traditional healer.
The patient had a five-day history of high fever, chest pain, and difficulty breathing, which later progressed to unexplained bleeding from multiple body sites. Despite medical intervention, the patient experienced multiple organ failure and subsequently succumbed to the illness at Mulago National Referral Hospital. Following the confirmation of this index case, the Ministry of Health activated the Incident Management Team and dispatched Rapid Response Teams to Mbale City and Saidina Abubakar Islamic Hospital in Matugga to list all of the contacts and isolate them. Since the identification of the index case on 30 January 2025, ongoing investigations and contact tracing have led to a steady increase in the number of contacts, reaching 265 as of 10 February 2025, across the districts of Kampala, Wakiso, Jinja, Mbale, and other areas. Of the listed contacts, 62 per cent are health workers who have been quarantined at the National Isolation Centre in Mulago. As of 10 February 2025, there were nine confirmed cases, including the index case.
Currently, rapid response teams have been deployed in Wakiso and Mbale districts to conduct rapid assessments and initiate further case investigations.
Ten districts, including Kampala, Wakiso, Mukono, Luwero, Mbale City, Mbale District, Iganga, Jinja City, Jinja District, and Kakumiro, have been identified as high-risk areas based on risk categorisation and information regarding the movement of the case.
Following the detection of the index case, a rapid risk assessment is being conducted to support risk categorisation and planning. Given that Kampala is the capital city with a dense population and high population movement, there is a significant risk of further spread if the outbreak is not controlled in its early stage. The dense population and international connections in Kampala and Mbale cities create a high-risk environment where the outbreak could spread rapidly if timely containment measures are not implemented.
The Uganda Red Cross Society (URCS) is a key partner to Uganda’s Ministry of Health in response to epidemics (including Ebola). In this response, the Ministry of Health has tasked the National Society with providing support through community-based surveillance, contact tracing, risk communication, and community engagement. The URCS has also been tasked with supporting the Ministry of Health in enhancing its capacity for ambulance services and conducting safe and dignified burials. Communities are key to ending Ebola. Only with their engagement and active participation will the outbreak be brought under control. The National Society has the technical expertise and a network of volunteers in communities that can make a difference in stopping the spread of the outbreak, thus saving numerous lives.
A disaster brief for this operation has been produced and is available at Go.