KAMPALA — Uganda has secured a correction from the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) after officials raised concerns that Ebola outbreak figures published by the continental health agency had incorrectly combined Uganda’s cases with those from the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).
Uganda’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Ambassador Adonia Ayebare, said he held discussions with Africa CDC Director-General Dr Jean Kaseya, who agreed to rectify the reporting error and provide country-specific outbreak data.
“Today had a productive call with Dr Jean Kaseya, Head of Africa CDC, and he agreed to correct the errors in their reporting on Ebola cases in Uganda,” Ayebare said in a statement posted on X.
The controversy arose after outbreak figures circulated by the Africa CDC aggregated Uganda’s Ebola statistics with those of the DRC, prompting concerns among Ugandan officials and members of the public that the reporting exaggerated the country’s outbreak situation.
Critics argued that combining Uganda’s relatively limited number of confirmed cases with the much larger outbreak in eastern DRC created a misleading impression that could negatively affect tourism, trade and public confidence.
Uganda Media Centre executive director Alan Kasujja criticised the reporting approach, arguing that Uganda should not be grouped together with the DRC outbreak.
“The real Ebola problem is in the East of DRC. Because of reckless narratives, livelihoods are being destroyed in Uganda. Entire industries are being affected,” Kasujja wrote on X.
Following the concerns, Africa CDC issued an updated Uganda-specific situation report, emphasising that it would provide separate country-by-country outbreak figures to ensure greater clarity.
In a statement released Saturday, Africa CDC said Uganda’s response efforts continue to focus on early case detection, contact tracing, laboratory testing, case management and protection of frontline health workers.
The agency noted that it remains actively supporting the Government of Uganda and the Ministry of Health in containing the outbreak through surveillance and community engagement initiatives.
Health officials say Uganda has recorded nine confirmed Ebola cases and one death linked to the current outbreak. Authorities have also reported no new confirmed infections since May 25, a development that has boosted confidence in the country’s containment measures.
More than 580 contacts have reportedly been identified and monitored by health teams as part of ongoing surveillance efforts aimed at preventing further transmission.
Beyond the outbreak response, Ayebare revealed that Africa CDC plans to establish a regional pandemic response centre in Uganda, a move expected to strengthen preparedness and coordination for future public health emergencies across the region.
The announcement was welcomed by government officials, who described it as recognition of Uganda’s experience in managing infectious disease outbreaks, including Ebola, COVID-19 and other cross-border health threats.
Uganda’s health authorities continue to urge the public to remain vigilant while adhering to preventive measures as the country works toward declaring the outbreak contained.