Uganda Confirms Two Marburg Cases Amid Third-Largest Regional Ebola Outbreak

Uganda formally reported two confirmed Marburg cases to WHO through the IHR secure network after the US embassy issued a level 4 travel advisory on June 29. The cases occurred in the same western districts already handling Ebola contact tracing and isolation units. Both filoviruses spread via bodily fluids and traditional burials with no licensed Marburg vaccine available. Uganda has contained five prior Marburg outbreaks yet delayed public disclosure citing tourism impacts. This dual outbreak occurs as the DRC Ebola response enters its third month with over 1 400 cases recorded. Health workers now face simultaneous demands for Marburg-specific PPE protocols and Ebola vaccine deployment in overlapping border zones. The US embassy alert appears to have accelerated WHO member state notifications that Uganda had not yet released domestically. Regional health systems already report PPE shortages and laboratory backlogs. Next steps require immediate cross-border contact tracing within 72 hours and accelerated Marburg vaccine candidate deployment from existing Phase 1 stockpiles.