Kampala, 20 August 2024 - Ambassadors and heads of diplomatic missions in Uganda have today committed to provide the needed resources to support the Government of Uganda in responding to the ongoing mpox outbreak. The commitment was made during a comprehensive briefing organized in Kampala by the Ministry of Health (MoH) with support from World Health Organization (WHO).

On 2 August 2024, the Ministry declared an outbreak of mpox in Uganda. The declaration followed the presentation of two individuals who travelled from the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) with symptoms including a skin rash, swollen lymph nodes, and general malaise. The Uganda Virus Research Institute confirmed mpox in these cases on 24 July 2024. As of 19 August 2024, four confirmed cases of mpox had been detected in Uganda (two in Kasese, one in Kampala and one in Amuru).

As part of the country’s response to the outbreak, Uganda’s Ministry of Health developed a multisectoral mpox preparedness and response plan (July 2024-June 2025) worth USD 6.57 million (UGX 24 billion). The goal of this plan is to provide a framework for coordinating and controlling mpox by reducing importation, transmission, morbidity, and mortality in a bid to minimize the socio-economic disruption that might result.

Hosting the ceremony, Dr. Jane Ruth Aceng Ocero, Uganda’s Minister for Health said that “In 2022 when Uganda contained the Ebola outbreak, the country demonstrated its ability to address health emergencies that had been prophesied to grow out of proportion. It is important that international and national partners have confidence in our country’s capacity to contain the mpox outbreak and protect its neighbors.”

Speaking on behalf of the ambassadors and heads of mission accredited to Uganda, H.E. Hans Von Schroeder, Deputy Ambassador at the German Embassy in Uganda, expressed confidence in Uganda's ability to control the outbreak. “The experience of Uganda and its partners during COVID-19 and the Ebola virus disease gives us confidence in the country's ability to keep mpox at bay,” he stated. The partners who attended the meeting were from UN agencies and the embassies of the European Union, Austria, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, France, India, Ireland, Italy, Germany, Japan, Republic of Korea, Sweden, the United Kingdom, and the United States of America (USAID and CDC). 

The United Nations Resident Coordinator in Uganda, Ms. Susan Namondo Ngongi, reaffirmed the United Nations' unwavering support to Uganda's efforts to combat mpox, to ensure that the country emerges stronger and more resilient from the outbreak. “Through its various agencies, the United Nations stands in solidarity with the people and government of Uganda at this difficult time. We are committed to supporting the Ministry of Health and all stakeholders in mobilizing resources in the fight against mpox,” said Ms. Namondo.

On 14 August 2024, WHO declared mpox outbreak as a Public Health Emergency of International Concern. The 35^th WHO mpox situation report indicates a cumulative total of 99,176 laboratory-confirmed cases of mpox, 208 deaths, from 116 countries in all six WHO regions between 1 January 2022, and 30 June 2024.

Uganda is highly connected to the current emerging Epicenter in South Kivu, DRC, through trade, with a significant number of traders and truck drivers traveling between the two regions, which could facilitate the spread of mpox across the border. There is a sizeable population of children from the DRC who attend schools in Uganda, which increases the risk of disease transmission within educational settings. Additionally, five districts in western Uganda that are near the epicentres of the outbreak in South and North Kivu provinces host refugees from the DRC, further elevating the importation risk.

“Coordinated and accelerated actions today, will protect our population from the disease,” Hon. Dr Jane Aceng concluded.