Nuru Ngailo & Nelly Rwenji

ASLM

Uganda declared Ebola-free. But behind that headline is a story about preparedness, laboratories and people ready to act.

On 28 July, Uganda officially declared the end of its 2026 Ebola outbreak after completing 42 days without a new confirmed case. The outbreak recorded 20 confirmed cases, with 18 people recovering and two deaths. Fifteen of the confirmed cases were imported from the Democratic Republic of the Congo, while five were linked to those imported cases.

The declaration was more than the end of an outbreak. It was a demonstration of what happens when a health system is prepared to move quickly.

From the moment Ebola was detected, Uganda’s response brought together surveillance, laboratory testing, contact tracing, infection prevention and control, clinical care, community engagement and cross-border coordination. More than 800 contacts were identified and monitored, while surveillance was strengthened across high-risk districts and points of entry.

And at the heart of that response were laboratories.

A suspected case cannot be contained until it can be detected. A contact cannot be safely followed without knowing where the virus is. And an outbreak cannot be controlled without timely, reliable results.

This is where investments in laboratory systems make a difference.

During the wider Ebola response in the DRC and Uganda, ASLM has supported national efforts with US$907,514 in laboratory commodities, equipment, workforce development and biosafety expertise. In the DRC, this includes 30,024 test kits, 11,250 extraction kits, two PCR machines and two testing devices, with another 4,320 test kits dispatched. In Uganda, 205 laboratory and response personnel have completed training.

These numbers tell only part of the story.

Kits need machines. Machines need power and cold chain. Safe testing needs biosafety. And none of it works without skilled people who can deliver results when the pressure is highest.

Uganda’s experience is a reminder that preparedness is not something we build when an outbreak arrives. It is built through years of investment in people, laboratories, surveillance systems, partnerships and trust.

It is also a reminder that Ebola does not stop at borders—and neither should preparedness. WHO and Africa CDC have emphasized the importance of cross-border collaboration as the response continues in the DRC, where transmission remains a regional concern.

For ASLM, the lesson is clear: strong laboratory systems are not just about responding to today’s outbreak. They are about making Africa better prepared for the next one.

Every test counts. Every trained professional strengthens the response. And every investment in preparedness gives communities a better chance of stopping the next outbreak before it spreads.