Uganda's last Ebola patient left the hospital on July 16, 2026. The patient, who is from Congo, had been treated at Mulago National Referral Hospital in Uganda's capital, Kampala. In total, this outbreak infected 20 people in Uganda and killed two.

Now begins a waiting period. The World Health Organization requires a 42-day countdown — two rounds of 21 days each — with no new cases before a country can be declared Ebola-free. The 21-day window is the maximum time it usually takes for someone infected with Ebola to show symptoms. If no new cases appear in 42 days, the outbreak is officially over.

Uganda's health minister, Dr. Chris Baryomsi, confirmed the discharge through an official government press release. The WHO's Africa office also independently confirmed the last patient's discharge and the start of the countdown.

Uganda declared its outbreak on May 15, 2026. It had closed its border with Congo around January 4, 2026 to try to stop the disease from spreading. The larger outbreak affecting both Uganda and the Democratic Republic of Congo is centered in Congo's Ituri province. As of July 14, 2026, the DRC outbreak had 2,073 confirmed cases and 796 deaths.

This outbreak is caused by the Bundibugyo strain of Ebola. There is no licensed vaccine for this strain, which means doctors could not use the vaccination strategy that helped end other Ebola outbreaks. Instead, they relied on quickly isolating sick people and tracking down anyone who had contact with them. Oxford University recently started the first early-stage clinical trial of a vaccine for the Bundibugyo strain, but it was not ready during this outbreak.

The 20 people infected in Uganda included 15 Congolese nationals, four health workers, and one driver. Fewer than 10% of those infected died, which is a very low rate for Ebola. It is not yet clear exactly why the death rate was so low.

The two countries' presidents, Yoweri Museveni of Uganda and Félix Tshisekedi of DRC, signed an agreement to cooperate across their shared border. Uganda sent health experts to DRC as part of this deal.

Still, 15 countries have travel restrictions on Uganda. The United States banned non-U.S. citizens who had been in DRC, Uganda, or South Sudan from entering the country. Canada banned travelers from Uganda and South Sudan for 90 days. Uganda itself stopped all direct flights to and from DRC and limited bus and boat crossings. Africa CDC, the continent's public health agency, warned that travel bans can backfire by pushing people to travel secretly.

The WHO's representative in Uganda, Dr. Kasonde Mwinga, is overseeing the final watch period. If no new cases emerge, Uganda will finish the 42-day countdown in late August 2026.

The broader context here is the tension between a country protecting itself and the world working together during a disease emergency. The 15 countries still restricting travel to Uganda, even as it nears the end of its outbreak, show how political decisions often move more slowly than the science. For health experts, Uganda's story is a lesson in fighting a dangerous disease without a vaccine, while dealing with the gap between cooperation between neighbors and restrictions imposed by others.