The United States government has donated a monoclonal antibody treatment to Uganda to strengthen the country’s preparedness against Ebola as an outbreak of the disease continues in neighbouring Democratic Republic of Congo.
The treatment, MBP134, was handed over to the Ministry of Health at National Medical Stores on Wednesday.
Minister of State for Health (Primary Health Care) Charles Ayume received the donation on behalf of the government.
The US Embassy said Uganda currently has no active Ebola cases, but the ongoing outbreak of the Bundibugyo species in the Democratic Republic of Congo poses a serious risk because of cross-border movement.
‘As Ebola continues to spread in the DRC, the United States is making sure Uganda is ready to act fast,’ US Chargé d’Affaires Mikael Cleverley said.
He said the donation would help Uganda respond quickly to potential cases and strengthen health security in both countries.
The embassy said the DRC outbreak had become the largest recorded outside West Africa, with more than 4,500 confirmed cases and over 2,000 deaths as of mid-August 2026.
If Ebola is imported into Uganda, the treatment would allow health workers to deploy medical countermeasures immediately rather than waiting for supplies to arrive, the embassy said.
MBP134 was developed by Mapp Biopharmaceutical with support from the US Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority, part of the Department of Health and Human Services.
According to the embassy, the treatment is designed to recognise and neutralise Ebola virus particles, with pre-clinical studies showing effectiveness against several Ebola species, including Bundibugyo.
The treatment is not commercially available and can be used under compassionate-use arrangements, the embassy said.
The donation comes less than a month after Uganda declared the end of its 2026 Ebola outbreak after completing the required 42-day period without recording a new confirmed case.
Uganda recorded 20 confirmed cases during the outbreak, with 18 recoveries and two deaths, according to the Ministry of Health.
The US government said it has announced more than $619 million in funding for Ebola response efforts across the region.
Uganda continues to strengthen surveillance, particularly along its borders with the Democratic Republic of Congo, amid the ongoing outbreak there.
Health authorities have said the preparedness measures are intended to enable rapid detection, isolation and treatment of suspected cases should the virus cross into Uganda.