The International Federation of the Red Cross & Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) has launched an Emergency Appeal for 6 million Swiss francs to help contain Uganda’s eighth Ebola outbreak since 2000, caused by the Sudan Ebola Virus Disease (SVD), which has already resulted in nine confirmed cases, including one death.
Since the outbreak was declared on 30 January 2025, the Uganda Red Cross Society (URCS), with support from the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC), has been at the forefront of the response, working alongside the Ministry of Health and other partners to curb the spread of the disease.
In the first case, a 32-year-old nurse sought treatment across multiple healthcare facilities before succumbing to the illness at Mulago National Referral Hospital on 29 January in Uganda’s capital, Kampala. Ten districts, including Kampala, Wakiso, Mukono, Luwero, Mbale City, Mbale District, Iganga, Jinja City, Jinja District, and Kakumiro, have been identified as high-risk areas.
The URCS, leveraging its experience from previous outbreaks, provided the Ministry of Health with support through community-based surveillance, contact tracing, risk communication, community engagement, ambulance referrals, and safe and dignified burials, among key response efforts.
Robert Kwesiga, Uganda Red Cross Society Secretary General, said: “With Kampala’s high population density and frequent movement and travels within Uganda’s major towns and cities, fast and effective measures are required to prevent further spread of the disease. We have mobilized our volunteers in affected and at high-risk areas to deliver life-saving information to communities while also stepping up surveillance and contact tracing. We have also availed ambulance services to support with picking up any suspected cases from the communities to the treatment Centres.”
Through the emergency appeal, the IFRC global network will bolster these critical efforts and much more to strengthen National Society capacities and save the country from loss of lives. Funds received will be used to support 520,000 people with a range of services, including community engagement, community-based surveillance and contact tracing, safe and dignified burials, infection prevention and control measures including community WASH, and the provision of adequate Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) to healthcare workers. An amount of one million Swiss francs has been released from IFRC’s Disaster Response Emergency Fund to support initial efforts.
Mohamed Babiker, IFRC Head of Delegation for Uganda, Tanzania and South Sudan said: “It’s a race against time and we urge all our partners to act fast before the outbreak escalates further. Unless resources are mobilized swiftly, the risk of a major flare-up is not improbable. To us, time is of essence.”
