Uganda develops new Ebola preparedness plan with IGAD support

The Ugandan government is developing a new national Ebola Virus Disease preparedness and response work plan, supported by the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD). This initiative, themed "Turning Preparedness into Action: Strengthening Uganda's Ebola Readiness," aims to enhance the country's capacity to detect and respond to future infections. The plan is being crafted under IGAD's Regional Pandemic Preparedness and Response (PREPARE) Initiative, which involves consultations with local and regional experts.

The consultations, which took place over three days, identified gaps and priority interventions in disease surveillance, laboratory systems, health workforce capacity, and cross-border coordination. The work plan will be aligned with the regional preparedness framework and guided by the One Health approach, recognizing the links between human, animal, and environmental health. IGAD PREPARE Lead Ambassador Dr. Fatuma Adan commended Uganda for containing the Ebola outbreak but cautioned that being declared Ebola-free does not eliminate the risk of future infections.

The meeting was officiated by the Director General of Health Services, Dr. Charles Olaro, with contributions from the World Health Organisation (WHO) Uganda and the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC). This comes less than three months after Uganda was declared Ebola-free on July 28, 2026, following an outbreak that began in May and was linked to infections imported from the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). Uganda recorded 20 confirmed cases, including two deaths, during the outbreak.

The regional threat has persisted, with Kenya also reporting infections after a traveller arrived from the DRC through Uganda. Kenya confirmed its first imported case on October 6, 2026, which subsequently spread to eight other people, including four family members and four health workers who had attended to the initial patient. The country recorded nine confirmed cases and two deaths. On November 11, Kenya discharged its last Ebola patient, with all seven survivors having recovered.

The remaining contacts in Kenya also completed their monitoring, allowing the country to begin the mandatory 42-day countdown on November 12. If no new infections are detected, Kenya is expected to be declared Ebola-free on December 23, 2026. The WHO says there has been no evidence of transmission outside the identified cluster in Kenya. However, the outbreak remains active in the DRC, where more than 10,600 confirmed cases and 5,100 deaths had been reported by November 3.

The preparedness initiative brings together seven IGAD member states: Uganda, Kenya, Ethiopia, Djibouti, Somalia, South Sudan, and Sudan. It is supported by the Pandemic Fund, with a budget of 31.9 million US dollars. Under the programme, WHO serves as the implementing entity and fiduciary agent, while IFRC is the delivery partner and IGAD provides regional coordination.

The programme focuses on strengthening cross-border disease surveillance and early warning systems, laboratory capacity, health workforce development, community engagement, and coordination among member states. In response to the Ebola threat, IGAD health ministers endorsed allocating seven million US dollars under the PREPARE programme at an extraordinary meeting on May 29, 2026. The funding is intended to support urgent Ebola preparedness and response activities across the seven member states.

Key points

• The new plan aims to strengthen Uganda's capacity to detect and respond to future Ebola infections.
• The initiative involves seven IGAD member states and is supported by the Pandemic Fund with a budget of 31.9 million US dollars.
• The programme focuses on cross-border disease surveillance, laboratory capacity, and health workforce development among other areas.