Today marks 35 days of response since Uganda declared a lethal disease of Sudan virus disease, from the an identical family as Ebola virus disease on 30 January 2025. To strengthen coordination and helpful resource mobilization efforts, the Ministry of Health (MoH), with support from the World Health Group (WHO), organized a strategic partners’ meeting.
The strategic meeting equipped an opportunity to substitute partners on the outbreak, review the revised threat review, and align priorities with the financial sources obligatory to comprise Ebola. The meeting introduced together key stakeholders to reassess response programs in gentle of evolving epidemiological traits.
The Ministry of Health’s Strategic Advisory Committee (SAC), the highest resolution-making physique in the Incident Administration Machine, leads the coordination of response efforts and helpful resource mobilization. For the reason that final SAC meeting on 18 February 2025, the outbreak has evolved, necessitating urgent action.
In her opening remarks, the Minister of Health, Dr Jane Ruth Aceng Ocero, detailed the response efforts since the first case of Ebola used to be confirmed on 29 January 2025. Surveillance has been bolstered thru intelligent case detection and make contact with tracing, while case management and an infection prevention measures agree with been reinforced in health facilities. The outbreak has now lasted 35 days, with 14 recorded cases – 12 confirmed and two ability cases identified retrospectively.
Eight patients agree with recovered, two remain hospitalized, and two agree with succumbed to the virus. The spread of the outbreak previous Kampala and Wakiso to Mbale and, most now now not too lengthy up to now, Ntoroko has elevated the urgency to reassess strategic priorities. Dr Aceng emphasized that while Uganda has successfully contained earlier Ebola outbreaks, securing the obligatory funding stays severe to sustaining the response efforts.
“The nation, working with you, our partners, has the capacity to comprise this outbreak. The completely hole that exists is the financial sources required to produce the work,” she acknowledged.
The WHO Representative, Dr Kasonde Mwinga, speaking on behalf of partners, acknowledged the progress made however pressured out the urgency of affirming momentum in the response. The expanded technical meeting equipped an opportunity to align interventions with on hand financial sources and outline priorities for the following 210 days. With peaceable confirmed cases rising, the collective dedication of all stakeholders stays necessary to fighting extra spread and keeping at-threat communities.
The Incident Commander, Dr Henry Kyobe Bosa, equipped a technical substitute, highlighting that Uganda faces a dual outbreak space – Ebola and mpox. Whereas Ebola is characterised by sporadic, multi-district transmission, mpox stays a multi-cluster outbreak with sustained transmission.
At the moment, 486 contacts are under apply-up for Ebola, with intelligent transmission chains peaceable being monitored. Encouragingly, all secondary cases agree with been detected among listed contacts, demonstrating the effectiveness of surveillance measures. Nonetheless, persisted vigilance is obligatory to rupture transmission.
A severe a part of the dialogue used to be the updated 4W associate matrix, a digital tool developed by WHO to monitor financial commitments and helpful resource allocations. The most up-to-date review identified 27 partners actively supporting the Ebola response.
Key factors raised staunch thru the discussions included the need for simply helpful resource mapping, improved donor coordination, and the excellence between sanatorium and neighborhood mortality surveillance. To facilitate targeted helpful resource mobilization, stakeholders emphasized the need for more frequent area reports.
Transferring forward, partners agreed on key action aspects: updating the 4W matrix to mediate peaceable commitments, guaranteeing the timely originate of funds, and strengthening coordination thru the Nationwide Job Power.
The Kampala Capital Metropolis Authority (KCCA) will gain targeted support for its response, while ongoing funding negotiations with USAID and the US Providers and products for Disease Administration and Prevention (CDC) will be finalized to stable extra sources.
With Uganda’s history of successfully managing earlier Ebola outbreaks, the Ministry stays optimistic that, with sufficient financial and technical support, this outbreak can even be successfully contained.
