Ugandan health officials have successfully contained a recent outbreak of the rare Sudan strain of Ebola virus, despite operating with significantly reduced support from the United States government, health authorities confirmed.
The outbreak, declared on January 30 following the death of a nurse at Mulago National Referral Hospital in Kampala, has resulted in nine confirmed cases with only one fatality. Last week, officials announced that the eight surviving patients had been released after successful treatment, though dozens of contacts remain under quarantine as a precautionary measure.
“We’re cautiously optimistic as we count down to declaring an end to the outbreak,” said a Ministry of Health spokesperson. “Our surveillance and rapid response systems have performed admirably under challenging circumstances.”
The containment effort, however, faced unusual obstacles as it coincided with a freeze on all foreign aid by the Trump administration, which affected U.S. funding that would typically have supported Uganda’s Ebola response.
Dr. Suudhi Bamutya, who coordinates epidemic responses for the Uganda Red Cross Society, told reporters that the funding freeze continued for more than a week after the outbreak was declared, despite a State Department waiver allowing “life-saving assistance” to proceed.
“We tried to improvise with the resources we had,” Bamutya explained. “Even the government had to repurpose funds from other programs, which may affect other essential services.”
The funding reduction impacted the scale of contact tracing efforts, which was particularly challenging given that the index patient had traveled between multiple locations, including Mbale in eastern Uganda, as well as Wakiso and Kampala in the central region, before succumbing to the virus.
“This time we had to make it more targeted,” Bamutya said. “That means there is a risk of leaving some areas unattended to. The strategy was to put the limited available resources only to those areas we believe needed them most.”
On February 11, Elon Musk, who heads the U.S. Department of Government Efficiency Service (DOGE), acknowledged during a White House appearance that pausing funding for Ebola had been a “mistake.” Some U.S. funding specifically earmarked for Ebola response resumed on February 10, according to Bamutya.
Health experts attribute Uganda’s success in containing the outbreak to several factors, including earlier investments from both the Ugandan and U.S. governments, which helped establish robust disease detection systems and train expert response teams. These existing structures proved crucial in tracking and isolating cases quickly.
During previous outbreaks, including a 2022 epidemic that claimed 55 lives, the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) worked closely with the Red Cross and other agencies to raise public awareness, manage hazardous waste disposal, and ensure adequate supplies at health facilities. Much of this support was notably absent during the latest outbreak.
Bamutya expressed concern about future preparedness, noting that stocks of personal protective equipment and other critical supplies had been depleted without replacement.
“The next epidemic may not find us in better shape as it found us in previous outbreaks,” he warned.
The reduced U.S. involvement comes amid ongoing efforts to substantially reduce staffing at USAID, which has historically been a key partner in Uganda’s infectious disease control efforts.
As Uganda approaches the milestone of declaring the outbreak officially over, health experts are emphasising the importance of maintaining vigilance and international support for infectious disease surveillance and response capabilities, particularly in regions vulnerable to viral hemorrhagic fevers like Ebola.
The Sudan strain of Ebola is one of the rarest forms of the virus and had not been detected in Uganda since 2012 before this outbreak.
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