Uganda Red Cross Society volunteer, Gloria, speaks to people in Bwaise, Kampala about how to spot signs of Ebola, what to do if they notice symptoms, and how they can keep themselves safe.
Uganda Red Cross Society volunteer, Gloria, speaks to people in Bwaise, Kampala about how to spot signs of Ebola, what to do if they notice symptoms, and how they can keep themselves safe.
Uganda Red Cross Society volunteer, Gloria, speaks to people in Bwaise, Kampala about how to spot signs of Ebola, what to do if they notice symptoms, and how they can keep themselves safe.
Photo: Badru Sultan Katuba/Uganda Red Cross Society
As the second countdown to declare the current Ebola outbreak over in Uganda continues, health authorities and partners remain cautious and are planning for a sustained response in the coming months. We spoke to Dr Joseph Kasumba, Epidemic and Pandemic Preparedness Officer with the Uganda Red Cross Society (URCS), to get the latest.
What is the current situation with the Ebola outbreak in Uganda?
“On 30 January, Uganda’s Ministry of Health declared the country’s eighth outbreak of Ebola virus following the death of a nurse in the capital, Kampala. Contacts of this index case were traced. Those who tested positive for Ebola were successfully treated and discharged, triggering the countdown to declare the outbreak over. But then another cluster of cases was detected following the death of a young boy on 24 February. The boy’s mother and her newborn baby had also passed away a few weeks earlier, and their deaths are being treated as probable Ebola cases.”
“As it stands, 12 Ebola cases have been confirmed, including two confirmed deaths, with an additional two probable cases—across six districts in Uganda: Kampala, Jinja, Kyegegwe, Mbale, Ntoroko and Wakiso.”
“Although we have technically begun the second countdown, there remains a lot of uncertainty and the risk that there may still be cases within the community persists. Epidemiologists and surveillance teams are working hard to identify how these cases may have overlapped, as it is concerning that cases have been reported in different areas spread out across the country.”
“We are supporting the Ugandan Ministry of Health, which has activated scenario two of its National Response Plan: ‘sustain’. This means there’s been a delay in the detection of cases outside the known contact list and that we must plan for the next 210 days— the period of at least 10 Ebola incubation cycles—rather than just focusing on the short term.”
Uganda Red Cross Society volunteers install a new handwashing point at a school in Wakiso district in early March 2025, teaching pupils about good hygiene to help them reduce their risks of Ebola and mpox.
Uganda Red Cross Society volunteers install a new handwashing point at a school in Wakiso district in early March 2025, teaching pupils about good hygiene to help them reduce their risks of Ebola and mpox.
Uganda Red Cross Society volunteers install a new handwashing point at a school in Wakiso district in early March 2025, teaching pupils about good hygiene to help them reduce their risks of Ebola and mpox.
Photo: Badru Sultan Katuba/Uganda Red Cross Society
How is this outbreak different from previous Ebola outbreaks the country has faced, and are there any specific challenges?
“There are several key differences to this outbreak. Firstly, cases have been reported mainly in cities and densely populated areas such as Kampala and Wakiso, compared to the 2022 Ebola outbreak which struck the small town of Mubende. This makes contact tracing challenging due to the high population density, the fact that people are moving around a lot – both domestically and potentially internationally. And it increases the risk of transmission because people live in close proximity, sharing public spaces and transport.”
“Secondly, the fact that the first case was detected post-mortem in the national referral hospital presents a challenge for the surveillance system. If it had been detected sooner, it would have been easier to conduct contact tracing and minimize the spread.”
“Finally, and very importantly, this outbreak came while we are also fighting another epidemic: mpox. We had already been responding to mpox for some time and we now need to integrate both responses. It also means we have to adapt our risk communication efforts within communities, making sure they are aware of both diseases, the signs to look out for, the ways they can stay safe.”
“On the positive side, all Ebola cases that have been confirmed and who have received treatment in this outbreak have been able to survive. Whereas there was a high case fatality rate during the last outbreak in 2022, so far we’re seeing a 100% recovery rate when cases are detected in time.”
Ali and Alex, experienced ambulance attendants with the Uganda Red Cross Society, put on personal protective equipment and sanitise their vehicle before heading out to pick up suspected Ebola patients in the community and transport them to hospital.
Ali and Alex, experienced ambulance attendants with the Uganda Red Cross Society, put on personal protective equipment and sanitise their vehicle before heading out to pick up suspected Ebola patients in the community and transport them to hospital.
Ali and Alex, experienced ambulance attendants with the Uganda Red Cross Society, put on personal protective equipment and sanitise their vehicle before heading out to pick up suspected Ebola patients in the community and transport them to hospital.
Photo: Badru Sultan Katuba/Uganda Red Cross Society
How is the Uganda Red Cross Society supporting the response?
“We are doing a lot of different activities in support of the Ministry of Health, complementing their response and filling any gaps. We are involved in case management, supporting with emergency evacuations of suspected cases and referrals through our ambulance system.”
“Our volunteers are doing a huge amount of risk communication and community engagement to explain the risks of both Ebola and mpox to the population, encouraging them to take preventive measures and report any unusual health symptoms. This includes addressing any rumours and concerns people have—sometimes we have to convince people that Ebola is even real.”
“We have also activated trained Safe and Dignified Burials (SDB) teams across the country who are ready to deploy if someone is confirmed to have died from Ebola in the community. These teams are trained to properly engage the community, helping them understand why the burial needs to happen in a certain way to prevent spread of the disease, and reassuring them. Because it’s a difficult time for the community. We have to get their approval.”
A Uganda Red Cross Society volunteer speaks to communities in Mbale district in February 2025 about the current Ebola outbreak, sensitizing them on the dangers and the ways to prevent its spread.
A Uganda Red Cross Society volunteer speaks to communities in Mbale district in February 2025 about the current Ebola outbreak, sensitizing them on the dangers and the ways to prevent its spread.
A Uganda Red Cross Society volunteer speaks to communities in Mbale district in February 2025 about the current Ebola outbreak, sensitizing them on the dangers and the ways to prevent its spread.
Photo: Badru Sultan Katuba/Uganda Red Cross Society
How has Uganda Red Cross improved its preparedness for epidemics in recent years, and how is this helping with the response now?
“The past few years we have really developed the tools, structures, and the technical capacity required to respond to outbreaks on this scale thanks to support from IFRC and our donors. On the human resource side, many of our staff and volunteers have been trained in safe and dignified burials, community-based surveillance, and risk communication and community engagement. These are personnel we have in-house and deploy straight away—we don’t need to wait for outside help to come in. We also already had equipment—vehicles, communication materials, prepositioned personal protective equipment (PPE) that we could use straight away.”
“Something really important is that we already had an operational community-based surveillance system, which has been well-tested over many years. Although this isn’t nationwide, which would require significant resources, it has been an important part of our epidemic preparedness efforts in select, high-risk areas of the country. And we are now working to implement CBS in Ebola outbreak areas as part of our response so that volunteers can report suspected cases for rapid response.”
“We have also worked closely with the Ministry of Health and other authorities on epidemic preparedness and response in recent years, which means our role is well-understood and we have good coordination systems in place to work together when disease outbreaks strike.”
A new cohort of Uganda Red Cross Society volunteers in Wakiso are trained in community-based surveillance in early March 2025 to be able to detect and report signs of Ebola, mpox, and other diseases in their communities, so health authorities can take quick action.
A new cohort of Uganda Red Cross Society volunteers in Wakiso are trained in community-based surveillance in early March 2025 to be able to detect and report signs of Ebola, mpox, and other diseases in their communities, so health authorities can take quick action.
A new cohort of Uganda Red Cross Society volunteers in Wakiso are trained in community-based surveillance in early March 2025 to be able to detect and report signs of Ebola, mpox, and other diseases in their communities, so health authorities can take quick action.
Photo: Badru Sultan Katuba/Uganda Red Cross Society
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For the latest updates on Uganda Red Cross Society’s response to Ebola and mpox, follow them on X or visit the URCS website. You can also click here to donate to the IFRC’s Uganda Ebola outbreak appeal and support their lifesaving work.
In recent years, the Uganda Red Cross Society has worked hard to improve its epidemic preparedness and response with support from:
The Community Epidemic and Pandemic Preparedness Programme (CP3), funded by USAID
The Programmatic Partnership, funded by the European Union
An Ebola preparedness emergency appeal (2018-2021) and a Disaster Response Emergency Fund (IFRC-DREF) operation (2018-2020)