L065-UGANDA EXPANSIÓN DEL ÉBOLA

Ugandan authorities said they are containing an Ebola outbreak in Kampala linked to a traveller from the Democratic Republic of Congo, adding that no sustained local transmission has been detected. Health ministry spokesperson Allan Kasujja said a Congolese national who entered Uganda for treatment later died and tested positive for Ebola, with contacts including health workers and a driver quickly traced, isolated and monitored, with no further positive cases identified.

Officials confirmed that a relative of the patient has since tested positive and is receiving treatment, as surveillance and contact tracing are intensified. Screening has been stepped up at border crossings, while authorities say coordination with Congolese counterparts is ongoing to limit cross‑border spread.

The government has also postponed this year’s Martyrs’ Day celebrations, which attract large numbers of pilgrims from across the region, citing the risk of transmission.

The latest outbreak, caused by the rare Bundibugyo strain of the virus, was first reported in Ituri province in eastern Congo and has prompted heightened regional alert. The World Health Organization has declared the situation a public health emergency of international concern, warning of potential cross‑border spread after cases were confirmed in both Congo and Uganda.

Uganda has experienced several Ebola outbreaks in the past, but officials say lessons learned are informing the current response to prevent wider transmission.

DESCRIPCIÓN DE IMÁGENES

KAMPALA, UGANDA (MAY 18, 2026) (REUTERS - Access all)

1. VARIOUS OF UGANDAN DAILY MONITOR NEWSPAPER HEADLINE READING (English): "Two Ebola cases in Kampala"

2. VARIOUS OF UGANDAN NATIONAL NEWSPAPER HEADLINE READING (English): "Ebola, Museveni calls for calm"

KAMPALA, UGANDA (MAY 17, 2026) (REUTERS - Access all)

3. PEOPLE WALKING ON STREET

4. VEHICLES DRIVING ON HIGHWAY

KAMPALA, UGANDA (MAY 18, 2026) (REUTERS - Access all)

5. (SOUNDBITE) (English) SPOKESPERSON FOR UGANDA'S MINISTRY OF HEALTH, ALLAN KASUJJA, SAYING:

"A Congolese man came into Uganda, came for treatment at a hospital, and died. When he was tested, it was found that he had Ebola. Okay, what happened? Subsequently, the health workers who had attended to him and the driver who had delivered him to the hospital were traced, isolated, and are now being managed. His body was sent back to the Congo. Now, subsequently, one of his relatives, his sister-in-law, tested positive for Ebola as well. She's being treated. There has been no local infection as we speak right now."

KAMPALA, UGANDA (MAY 17, 2026) (REUTERS - Access all)

6. PEOPLE WALKING ON STREET

7. TRAFFIC

8. VARIOUS OF MOTORBIKES AND VEHICLES DRIVING PAST

KAMPALA, UGANDA (MAY 18, 2026) (REUTERS - Access all)

9. (SOUNDBITE) (English) SPOKESPERSON FOR UGANDA'S MINISTRY OF HEALTH, ALLAN KASUJJA, SAYING:

"The other people who have been traced and tracked were either health workers treating them or the drivers who brought them into the hospitals. And those ones have been tested, and there's been no positive case of Ebola so far. So for avoidance of doubt, first of all, the situation is under control, but also secondly, no Ugandan has been infected with Ebola or tested positive, and we are making sure that remains the situation."

KAMPALA, UGANDA (MAY 17, 2026) (REUTERS - Access all)

10. VARIOUS OF TRAFFIC ON HIGHWAY

KAMPALA, UGANDA (MAY 18, 2026) (REUTERS - Access all)

11. (SOUNDBITE) (English) SPOKESPERSON FOR UGANDA'S MINISTRY OF HEALTH, ALLAN KASUJJA, SAYING:

"There's a lot of screening happening at the border because trade has to go on and people need to continue with their lives, but there is a lot of screening happening at the moment. So everybody crossing the border from the other side is being screened. But also, at a higher level, the governments on both sides are discussing how to best manage the situation in Ituri, how the Congolese government can be supported, and so that we make sure that the problem doesn't spread onto our side any more than it has."

INTERNET (MAY 18, 2026) (GOVERNMENT OF UGANDA - Access All) (MUTE)

12. STATEMENT REGARDING MARTYR'S DAY POSTPONEMENT READING (English):

"Fellow Ugandans, especially the Bazzukulu, greetings.After consultations with the national epidemic response task force and religious leaders, we have decided to postpone the Martyrs' Day to a later date, which will be communicated. This decision was made because Uganda receives thousands of pilgrims annually from Eastern Congo, which is currently experiencing an Ebola outbreak. To safeguard everyone's lives, it is essential that this important event be postponed. I encourage those who had begun their journey to return home, continue observing the precautionary measures, report anyone who is sick, and encourage those who are ill to seek medical care.We regret any inconvenience caused, but the protection of life must come first."

KAMPALA, UGANDA (MAY 18, 2026) (REUTERS - Access all)

13. (SOUNDBITE) (English) SPOKESPERSON FOR UGANDA'S MINISTRY OF HEALTH, ALLAN KASUJJA, SAYING:

"Because there is an Ebola outbreak in the eastern part of the Democratic Republic of Congo, and a lot of pilgrims who attend Martyrs' Day in Uganda come from the eastern part of the DRC, the president decided to postpone the Martyrs' Day celebration until a later date, just to make sure that we do not create a situation where the disease spreads not just across Uganda, but across the region as well, because a lot of people who attend Martyrs' Day come from across the region."

KAMPALA, UGANDA (MAY 17, 2026) (REUTERS - Access all)

14. PEOPLE WALKING ON STREET

15. PEOPLE WALKING, VEHICLES DRIVING ON HIGHWAY

GOMA, DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO (ARCHIVE - JULY 18, 2019) (REUTERS - Access All)

16. TWO WOMEN BEING ATTENDED TO AT REGISTRATION TENT

17. HEALTH WORKER TAKING MAN'S TEMPERATURE

BENI, DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO (ARCHIVE - AUGUST 10, 2018) (UNICEF - Must on-screen credit 'UNICEF')

18. TENT OUTSIDE HOSPITAL

19. VARIOUS OF HEALTH PROFESSIONAL FILLING SYRINGE WITH EBOLA VACCINE

GOMA, DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO (ARCHIVE - JULY 18, 2019) (REUTERS - Access All)

20. PEOPLE RECEIVING EBOLA VACCINATIONS

BENI, DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO (ARCHIVE - MARCH 31, 2019) (REUTERS - Access All)