UGANDA: LONG-TERM SOLUTION FOR EBOLA, “WE NEED TO HAVE ONE STRONG GLOBAL HEALTH MEDICAL SYSTEM” DR. AJUK PHILLP

Uganda People’s Defence Forces (UPDF) have reinforced the lockdown as one of the measures to fight the Ebola outbreak, as the Ebola Bundibugyo outbreak has spread to all the UPDF barracks, and three health deaths have risen to 3 in Kampala City, the main private hospital.

 

 

 

“So far, 5800 of the Ebola suspects have been put in quarantine at Mulago National Referral Hospital.

GULU CITY-MONDAY JUNE 1, 2026.

By Okumu Livingstone Langol, (Uganda Correspondent)

Gulu Regional Referral Hospital’s Ebola outbreak Coordinator decried that although Gulu Regional Hospital is not at risk of Ebola, the current Ebola Bundibugyo outbreak presents with Febrile fever like malaria; the patients have mal abdominal pain, Diarrhea which it caused delayed detection of Ebola.

Dr Ajuk Phillip, the Coordinator of the Ebola outbreak at Gulu Regional Referral Hospital one-on-one interview with Uganda Correspondent, disclosed that the current Ebola Bundibugyo outbreak is alluding to the early warning system and symptoms of the Ebola sign; that is why it has affected 15 Countries South of the Sahara African.

 

 

 

“The initial disease that is there has a number of Ebola cases in DR. Congo, because Uganda has a good health system compared to the rural areas in Bunia, Eastern RD. Congo. The first Ebola suspect, most of them take flight from DR.C and Ferry to Arua to seek medical treatment in Uganda, as the first Ebola victims flee from Bunia to Arua City.”

 

 

 

Dr Ajuk stressed that 5,800 people have been affected with Ebola, and they are at Mulago National Referral Hospital, Central & East Africa: Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Uganda, Republic of the Congo, Gabon, and Sudan.West Africa: Guinea, Liberia, Sierra Leone, Nigeria, and Mali. Southern Africa: South Africa (which recorded an isolated imported case.

 

 

 

We need to have a strong global health system, where we have all medical Doctors and Veterinary Doctors to have one system. For example, if one case of Ebola happened, we have control over it; we need one health approach in tackling or fighting Ebola virus disease (EVD), which is a severe, highly fatal zoonotic disease caused by viruses in the genus Ebolavirus. Spillover into humans occurs through direct contact with infected wildlife like fruit bats or non-human primates, after which it spreads person-to-person via bodily fluids.

 

 

 

Timeline of Ebola according to Dr Ajuk Phillip, on 15 May, 2026. When the first person was reported to have died with Ebola, in the country we had 9 cases of Ebola. Three deaths of Health Workers from Kampala private health facility because of the privacy of all the people who have contact; as of now the people who are 5800 in the control area at Mulago National Hospital.

 

 

 

We are urging all health workers to observe IPC measures, which include hand washing and Sanitizers, tempter monitoring and the wearing of PPE personal protective equipment like gloves, face-fitted goggles and overall cover.

 

 

 

We continue to have cases of health alerts in all the country, especially over phone conversations; last week, 7 alerts at Elego, Uganda-South Sudan border in Acholi, all turned out to be negative.

 

 

 

We also have border patrols to ensure all the borders are closed; this Ebola Bundibugyo, for them they present rare symptoms.

 

 

 

Nakato Brenda, 40 years old, not her real name, from Kampala City, spoke on condition, lamented the Ebola scare growing in Uganda because of heavily congested traffic; you don’t know who is sitting next to you, not to have Ebola, although health workers are screening patients amid rising numbers of Ebola contacts.

 

 

 

“I have a girl school going age of five years old; I don’t know if she may follow the IPC and hand-washing method being practiced at school. We have seen how the children are going to school. I am worried because I don’t know the fate of the children. I am also scared because Kampala many transporters are crowded because of the Ebola outbreak; people are scared because the whole population is at risk.”

 

 

 

Acayo Rita Hope, former Northern Uganda Media Club Member now a farmer in Gulu District, when contacted about the Ebola outbreak, commented that she is scared like other Ugandans. But what surprised her was that after greeting people, her conscience tells her that there is an Ebola outbreak.

 

 

 

“We are not observing Ebola rules; we are taking Ebola lightly. People want to see dead bodies of Ebola victims; then people will come to know that Ebola is there.”

 

Dr Ajuk Phillip outlined that Uganda has a well medical Ebola task forces across the country, for example in Gulu Regional Referral Hospital, when they got the Ebola Health Alert last week. The 7 people who were found as suspects of Ebola had their sample were taken to Arua and Entebbe, where the Ebola Testing Laboratory is.

 

The Ebola sample can only take 8 hours during transportation because there two stands by Ambulances Van crises crossing Gulu Kampala highway, and the same applies across Uganda Regional Hospitals that cover North-eastern, south-western corridor.

 

For the lockdown within UPDF, I have no comment; if it is true, then it does not mean the UPDF barracks have Ebola, but for the safety of our sister forces.

 

Rev. Allan Otim, the Curate of Gulu Christ Church, on Sunday, May 31, during his summons to church congregations, appeals to them to guard against an Ebola outbreak which has affected several countries South of the Sahara. With the empathy that people should not tamper with the Ebola cops as it happened in Eastern D.R. Congo last week when the community chased the casket of an Ebola dead body for the purpose of viewing the body of the fallen relative.

 

“I want to appeal to you, my people, you have to be very vigilant against the Ebola outbreak currently sweeping across; don’t be foolish to open the casket of Ebola victims for the viewing. Like what happened in Eastern D.R. Congo, where the community demanded to see the body of an Ebola victim, and the community chased and broke the coffin and opened it for the public viewing, is a shame.”

 

Ministry of Health confirms two new cases of Ebola.

On 29th May 2026, the Ministry of Health has confirmed two new cases of Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) in Kampala, bringing the total number of confirmed cases in Uganda to nine (9), including one fatality. The confirmed cases are Congolese nationals.

 

Firstly, an individual who presented with symptoms consistent with Ebola, our rapid response team acted swiftly to isolate the patient as soon as symptoms were noted. All contacts of this new confirmed case have been identified and are under close follow up.

 

Secondly, the second case is contacts to previously confirmed case; the public is reminded of the following Ebola symptoms: sudden fever, fatigue, muscle pain, vomiting, diarrhoea and an explained bleeding. If you or someone you know an individual’s report early, the chances of survival are high. Press statement ended.

 

 

 

Report updates from WHO stated that at least 282 cases of Ebola disease have been confirmed in Congo’s growing outbreak, the central African nation says, as more joyful stories from recovered medical workers emerge. One nurse spoke of his “indescribable joy” at beating the illness.

 

The outbreak remains focused in eastern Ituri province, where 264 cases have been confirmed, the health ministry said. Congo has reported more than 1,000 suspected cases of the Bundibugyo virus, the species of Ebola that was confirmed weeks after the outbreak quietly began. There is no approved medicine to treat it or a vaccine.

 

WHO report as per 29th May, 2026?

The Bundibugyo virus disease (BVD) outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Uganda continues to evolve rapidly, with increasing case numbers, geographic spread, and ongoing cross-border transmission.

 

As of 27 May, a total of 906 suspected cases and 223 deaths among suspected cases have been reported in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. As of 29 May, a total of 134 confirmed cases, including nine in Uganda, with 18 deaths among the confirmed cases, have been reported across both countries.

 

This is an additional 49 confirmed cases, eight confirmed deaths, 160 suspected cases and 47 suspected deaths since the last update on 21 May. In addition, there is one confirmed case, an individual from the United States of America, who had treated patients in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and is currently receiving care in Germany.

 

In the Democratic Republic of the Congo, transmission is concentrated in Ituri, as well as North Kivu and South Kivu provinces, with challenges in contact tracing and follow-up, insecurity, inadequate isolation, care, and referral systems for patients complicating response efforts.

 

National authorities, in collaboration with WHO and partners, are implementing response measures including deployment of rapid response teams, delivery of medical supplies, strengthened surveillance, laboratory confirmation, infection prevention and control, the set-up of safe and optimized treatment centers, and community engagement.