Uganda has successfully contained its Ebola outbreak, recording just 20 cases and two deaths before releasing its last patient from hospital two weeks ago, while neighbouring DR Congo continues to struggle, with its death toll passing 1,500 and the virus spreading faster than in previous outbreaks. Health officials attribute Uganda's success to preparedness built up over repeated past outbreaks, allowing rapid isolation of cases and activation of specialist treatment facilities, in contrast to DR Congo, where the virus spread undetected for weeks before being identified.

This is DR Congo's 17th Ebola outbreak since the virus was discovered 50 years ago, compared with Uganda's nine since 2000, giving Ugandan officials extensive experience in swift response. When cases linked to DR Congo emerged in May, Uganda activated a specialist treatment centre at Mulago hospital in Kampala within a day, closed its border with DR Congo despite the trade costs involved, and found that most patients went directly to treatment units rather than passing through general hospitals, limiting community transmission. The WHO's Uganda representative, Dr Kasonde Mwinga, said the low casualty count reflected sustained investment in preparedness rather than luck.