In early 2025, Uganda faced its fifth outbreak of Sudan virus disease. What followed was a response notable not only for how quickly the virus was contained, but for the unusually low death toll it produced — an outcome that offers real insight for how emerging epidemic threats can be managed.

Researchers from the Interdisciplinary Consortium for Epidemics Research, working alongside Uganda’s Ministry of Health, Makerere University, the World Health Organization, and other national partners, have documented the outbreak in a correspondence letter published in the New England Journal of Medicine. The account traces how the disease was first detected, how it moved through three separate transmission chains, and how a response that combined established public health practice with newer tools helped bring it under control.

The full letter is available to read below.