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Uganda's Effective Ebola Response Stands in Contrast to Rapid Spread in DR Congo

While the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo worsens, Uganda has contained its cases through early detection and quarantine measures.

Aug 2, 2026, 12:57 AM BBC World

DR Congogeography Democratic Republic of Congotopic Fred Kanikiperson Kasonde Mwingaperson Why Ugandaperson World Health Organization Ugandaperson Rapid Spreadperson Uganda Effective Ebola Response Standstopic BBCorganization Its Ebolaperson While the Ebolatopic

The train station platform, Tororo, Uganda, Sept. 14, 2010. U.S. Army photo by John Hanson Railways, the technology that transformed Europe and America in the 19th century, may yet play a significant role in the future economic development of Uganda. Two U.S. Army logisticians, John Hanson from U.S. Army Africa’s G-4 Programs and Policy Branch, and Lloyd Coakley, from the Military Surface Deployment and Distribution Command’s Transportation Engineering Agency, conducted a four-day assessment of Ugandan railway infrastructure Sept. 13-17 at the request of the Uganda People’s Defense Force’s Engineer Brigade. The mission was to determine the current operational status of the Uganda railway system and its rolling stock, to assess the capability of UPDF personnel to rehabilitate the network, and to identify potential sites for training and repair operations. USARAF and SDDC were invited to contribute their expertise by Brig. Gen. Timothy Sabiiti, commander of the Uganda People’s Defense Force’s Engineer Brigade, Hanson said. “He’s been charged with assisting in the rehabilitation of the railways. It would have a very positive economic impact, including natural resource development. It’s a five-year plan, a complete rehabilitation of the railroad. That’s why they’re doing it. It’s all civil development, but the railroad would be used by the military, too. It would enhance their mobility,” Hanson said. Ugandan assessment team members included Engineer Murungi Daudi, Brig. Gen. George Etyang, Nakaliika Rahmat, Lt. Col. Luke Arikosi, and Engineer Kyamugambi Kasingye. Hanson, Coakley, and their Ugandan hosts, accompanied by a representative of the U.S. Embassy in Kampala, assessed the railroad stations and infrastructure in Jinja, Tororo, Mbale, Kumi, Soroti, Lira and Gulu. They also toured the Nalukolongo Railway Repair Facility in Kampala, he said. “It’s a significant percentage of the railroad, the majority of the rail lines. We saw almost the entire rail line that has not been completely abandoned,” Hanson said. The assessment team found the condition of the Ugandan system to vary greatly by region. The railway is still fully functional and operating in the Jinja-Tororo area, Hanson said. Tororo is the easternmost link on the line before it crosses into Kenya, heading for the coast at Mombasa. As the team progressed north, however, damaged rails were common place, and track along the western section, from Gulu to Pakwach, is in general disrepair, a result of the area being for years under control of the Lord’s Resistance Army. “It’s been pretty much abandoned since then,” Hanson said. Nonetheless, the Ugandan-American team could clearly see the potential for future reconstruction. “The Ugandan government and the UPDF are committed to returning their railway system to a fully operational status. SDDC and USARAF can assist in this effort to help build capacity, not only in Uganda, but eventually throughout the region,” Coakley said. “It was great to partner with another Army Service Component Command on the continent,” said Hanson. “The engineers from SDDC have a lot of experience and expertise that can assist USARAF in finding solutions to the transportation and mobility issues we face throughout most of Africa.” The railroads came to East Africa just before the turn of the 20th century, in the hey-day of European colonial expansion, and England and Germany in particular were in competition to build systems to extract the natural resources of what are today Kenya and Uganda. Beginning in the 1890s, both countries undertook mammoth engineering projects to build railroads from the Indian Ocean coast to Lake Victoria in the interior. The development had profound economic and demographic impacts on the entire region. The influx of workers from British India to build the railways resulted in thriving Indian diaspora communities in both present day Uganda and Kenya; the growth of rail construction centers and nodes stimulated the establishment of such urban centers as Kisumu (then called Port Florence) and Nairobi, both in Kenya. The Ugandan rail line finally reached Kampala in 1931. The northern branch, beginning in Tororo, was extended to Soroti by 1929 and reached Pakwach only in 1964. The presently serviceable rolling stock consists of approximately 1,000 wagons and 35 diesel hydraulic locomotives, said Hanson, and though activity has been dormant in some areas for decades, and clearly in need of rehabilitation, the Ugandan system holds great promise for the future. “SDDC has produced numerous studies on African seaports and infrastructure in the past. USARAF needs to synchronize our efforts with SDDC as they identify future locations to conduct their analyses,” Hanson said. To learn more about U.S. Army Africa visit our official website at <a href=" http://www.usaraf.army.mil " rel="nofollow">www.usaraf.army.mil</a> Official Twitter Feed: <a href=" https://twitter.com/usarmyafrica " rel="nofollow">www.twitter.com/usarmyafrica</a> Official YouTube video channel: <a href=" https://www.youtube.com/usarmyafrica " rel="nofollow">www.youtube.com/usarmyafrica</a> · Photo by US Army Africa · Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 · Source: wikimedia

The Ebola outbreak in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DR Congo) has become the second-worst on record, with the official death toll surpassing 1,500. Authorities in DR Congo confirmed on Thursday, August 1st, 2026, that the virus is spreading much faster than in previous outbreaks. Experts believe the actual number of fatalities is likely higher than reported.

In contrast, Uganda, which also reported Ebola infections in May 2026, has seen a markedly different outcome. Uganda recorded only 20 cases and two deaths, discharging its last Ebola patient from hospital roughly two weeks ago.

Dr Kasonde Mwinga, the World Health Organization's Uganda chief, stated that the relatively low number of casualties was not "by luck or chance." After Uganda and DR Congo jointly declared the Ebola outbreak on May 15th, 2026, people with symptoms such as headaches, fever, and vomiting "came direct to the treatment unit," according to Dr David Kaggwa, head of the facility.

Uganda's Ebola response coordinator, Dr Fred Kaniki, attributed the success to early detection and contact tracing. He told the BBC, "In the course of a month we registered two more cases originating from those index cases and successfully followed up 400 people." Additionally, Uganda managed to quarantine more than 6,000 contacts of people known to have Ebola during the outbreak.

Preparedness and surveillance mechanisms played a key role in quickly identifying patients. Dr Kaggwa noted, "It's because people invested in preparedness," and "Surveillance mechanisms were put in place then it was easy to identify all the patients quickly."

Many patients complied fully with guidelines, even under difficult circumstances, such as when an 11-month-old baby was quarantined for 21 days away from a breastfeeding mother.

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