Support Community-Led Ebola Containment in Uganda

Dear Donor,

The end of Uganda's Ebola outbreak is an achievement worth celebrating, but the continuing crisis in the Democratic Republic of Congo demonstrates why community-based surveillance must remain active. Uganda recorded 20 confirmed cases, including two deaths, and officially declared the outbreak over on 28 July 2026. No new confirmed cases have been reported since 21 June.

Meanwhile, the DRC continues to experience rapid transmission. WHO's latest figures show 4,665 confirmed cases in the DRC as of 12 August, contributing to a total of 2,186 deaths across the regional outbreak.

Development Alert is continuing to support community-level preparedness because local residents are often the first to notice unusual illness within their villages. Community health volunteers, local leaders, teachers, religious leaders, transport workers, and market representatives can help communicate alerts and encourage families to seek appropriate assistance.

Our continued activities promote early reporting and accurate information. Rather than creating fear, we encourage communities to understand practical steps that can reduce risk and protect vulnerable households.

We are also supporting communication between grassroots structures and health facilities. Strong communication can reduce delays when a health concern emerges and can help authorities investigate alerts more efficiently.

The field motorcycle remains a valuable component of this preparedness system. It enables teams to travel to remote communities, conduct follow-up activities, deliver health education materials, and support rapid mobilization when needed.

The DRC's experience demonstrates the consequences of delayed detection and difficult access to communities. Uganda's experience demonstrates the opposite: when communities, health workers, authorities, and partners act together, transmission can be stopped.

Your support helped strengthen that collective response. Today, we are preserving those gains and ensuring Uganda's communities remain prepared while the regional Ebola emergency continues.