WAS - East Africa Tourism Intelligence Brief (30 Jun - 6 Jul 2026)

Weekly

Regional

06 July 2026

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

Uganda's Ebola outbreak remains stable with no new confirmed cases since 21 June, now a 15-day streak. This keeps the 42-day countdown to a possible Ebola-free declaration on track for early August. However, Uganda's western Kyegegwa District has recorded a separate, isolated Marburg virus case in a young child, detected through the same enhanced surveillance built for the Ebola response. No further cases or symptomatic contacts have been identified. All national parks in Uganda and Rwanda remain fully open and operational throughout.

In the DRC the outbreak continues to accelerate sharply. Confirmed cases reached 1,460 with 452 deaths as of 30 June - an increase of over 300 cases in the reporting period. Ituri Province remains the epicentre with 1,333 cases, more than 500km from Uganda's gorilla trekking zones. On a more positive note, the Ebola patient treated in France has made a full recovery and been discharged, and WHO has granted Emergency Use Listing to the first diagnostic test for the Bundibugyo Ebola strain driving this outbreak.

Rwanda still records zero Ebola cases and zero Marburg cases. Critically, Volcanoes National Park is explicitly excluded from the restricted DRC border zone and remains fully accessible. RwandAir's Dubai and Doha routes continue to operate normally, and Uganda Airlines has launched an expanded schedule from 1 July covering 14 destinations. ECDC (3 July 2026)

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EBOLA WATCH - Ebola Watch Dashboard

Health zone (DRC) / district (UGA) with confirmed case
Province (DRC) with confirmed case
Province (DRC) / district (UGA) boundary
International boundary
Selected city

DRC data as of July 1, 2026 Uganda data as of July 2, 2026 Data sources: DRC INSP, UG MOH, Esri and Impact Observatory, Europa, Natural Earth, OpenStreetMap, US DoS

Figure 1: Map produced by CDC on 3 Jul 2026

CASE STATISTICS (as at 6 July 2026)

UGANDA

Confirmed cases: 20 Confirmed deaths: 2 Recoveries: 15

Uganda has now gone 15 days without a new confirmed Ebola case, with the last confirmed case reported on 21 June. Of the 20 confirmed cases, 15 were imported from DRC and 5 were local transmission events, all in Kampala or the neighbouring district of Wakiso. No Ebola transmission has occurred in any national park or wildlife tourism zone throughout the outbreak. If the current streak holds to 42 days, the earliest possible Ebola-free declaration falls in early August 2026. ECDC (3 July 2026)

DRC

Confirmed cases: 1,460 Confirmed deaths: 452 Hospitalised in isolation: 641 Recovered: 213

The DRC outbreak has grown sharply, reaching 1,460 confirmed cases and 452 deaths as of 30 June data - an increase of over 300 cases since the previous reporting period. Ituri Province remains the epicentre with 1,333 cases and 380 deaths across 24 of 36 health zones. North Kivu has reported 124 cases and 71 deaths from 11 of 34 health zones. South Kivu reports 3 cases and 1 death from a single health zone. In total 36 of 104 health zones across the three provinces are now affected. 82.7% of identified contacts remain under active follow-up. The outbreak remains geographically concentrated more than 500km from Uganda's gorilla trekking zones. ECDC (3 July 2026)

RWANDA

Confirmed Ebola cases: 0 Confirmed Marburg cases: 0

Zero confirmed Ebola or Marburg cases throughout the entire reporting period. All national parks, Kigali International Airport and tourism infrastructure remain fully operational. Rwanda's 30-day entry restriction for travellers with DRC travel history remains in force. Rwanda is not subject to any UAE, UK or EU travel restriction related to Ebola. ECDC (3 July 2026)

EUROPE - IMPORTED CASES UPDATE

The doctor treated in France following the 24 June confirmed case has made a full recovery and been discharged, with no onward transmission recorded. A separate US citizen case, medically evacuated to Germany in May, also recovered fully. ECDC continues to assess the likelihood of infection for EU/EEA residents as very low. New York Times (1 July 2026)

KEY DEVELOPMENTS - EBOLA

1 July - Uganda's Ebola case count holds steady at 20 for tenth consecutive day. ECDC confirmed the last Uganda Ebola case was reported on 21 June, with no new cases since. This is Uganda's longest case-free stretch of the outbreak to date and represents a significant positive signal for the containment narrative, even as the country simultaneously manages the new Marburg case. ECDC (3 July 2026)

2 July - WHO grants Emergency Use Listing to first Bundibugyo Ebola diagnostic test. The World Health Organization added the first molecular diagnostic test for Bundibugyo virus - the Ebola strain driving this outbreak - to its Emergency Use Listing. This is a meaningful development for faster field diagnosis and case isolation across DRC and Uganda, and should accelerate containment efforts in both countries. WHO (2 July 2026)

3 July - DRC outbreak reaches 1,460 confirmed cases and 452 deaths. ECDC's latest update, based on data to 30 June, confirms an increase of 54 newly confirmed cases and 14 new deaths since the prior reporting cycle, with the overall case count having grown substantially over the reporting week. Ituri Province remains the epicentre. Contact follow-up has improved to 82.7% but remains below the levels needed for full containment confidence. ECDC (3 July 2026)

France case recovers and is discharged. The doctor confirmed with Ebola in France on 24 June - the first case of this outbreak recorded in Europe - has made a full recovery and been discharged from hospital, with no onward transmission at any point. New York Times (1 July 2026)

UAE. Formal entry ban in force since 13:00, 6 June 2026. Entry restricted for all travellers from Uganda, DRC and South Sudan including those transiting via third countries. All new visa issuance suspended for nationals of the three countries. Entry permitted only for travellers who have spent more than 21 days outside the listed countries. Rwanda is NOT on the restricted list. Gulf Business (June 2026)

United States. Uganda Level 4 Do Not Travel. Entry banned for non-citizens and non-permanent residents from Uganda, DRC and South Sudan. Rwanda's advisory is Level 3 - Reconsider Travel (issued 4 June), citing health (Ebola), crime and unrest linked to the DRC border - not Level 2 as reported in our previous edition. Volcanoes National Park is explicitly excluded from the restricted DRC border zone and remains fully accessible. US Department of State (4 June 2026)

Canada. 90-day entry ban for DRC, Uganda and South Sudan residents. 21-day mandatory quarantine for returnees. Measures confirmed to end 29 August 2026. 36,000 PR applications suspended until 28 August 2026. Government of Canada (June 2026)

Rwanda. 30-day entry restriction for travellers with DRC travel history in the past 30 days. Zero confirmed Ebola or Marburg cases. All tourism infrastructure fully operational. ECDC (3 July 2026)

Bahrain and Jordan. 30-day entry bans for travellers from Uganda, DRC and South Sudan remain in force.

EU and UK. No formal entry bans on Uganda or Rwanda. Enhanced screening at selected EU airports for Uganda returnees. The France case has fully recovered and no additional European travel restrictions have been imposed. ECDC continues to assess risk to EU/EEA residents as very low. ECDC (3 July 2026)

WHO position. WHO continues to oppose blanket travel restrictions, describing them as counterproductive and inconsistent with the actual epidemiological risk. Uganda's transparent reporting and rapid detection - now extended to its Marburg response - continue to be cited as evidence that open surveillance should be rewarded, not penalised. WHO (June 2026)

KEY DEVELOPMENTS - GENERAL

Isolated Marburg virus case confirmed in western Uganda - separate from the Ebola response. Uganda notified WHO on 30 June of a confirmed Marburg virus disease case in Kyegegwa District - a 1.5-year-old child who died, detected through the enhanced surveillance network already in place for Ebola. No further cases or symptomatic contacts have been identified. Africa CDC and WHO are supporting investigation and contact tracing. This is a distinct event from the Ebola outbreak and has not affected any wildlife tourism zone. WHO (3 July 2026)

1 July - Uganda Airlines launches expanded July schedule across 14 destinations. Uganda Airlines' revised timetable, effective 1 July, increases frequencies on regional and international routes from its Entebbe hub, including daily services to Nairobi and Bujumbura, and continued links to London Gatwick, Mumbai, Johannesburg, Lagos, Kinshasa and other regional points. This represents a meaningful expansion of Uganda's air connectivity during the outbreak period. Kenya Association of Travel Agents (3 July 2026)

KLM Amsterdam-Entebbe suspension extended to 9 August 2026. KLM has significantly extended its Amsterdam-Entebbe suspension, previously confirmed only through 1 July, to 9 August 2026, citing continued travel restrictions and crew-scheduling complications linked to Ebola quarantine mandates. This is

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