IFRC 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.
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, providing the Ministry of Health with support through community-based surveillance, contact tracing, risk communication, and community engagement, ambulance referrals, safe and dignified burials, among key response efforts.