As East Africa continues to respond to the Bundibugyo Virus Disease (BVD) outbreak and other emerging health threats, Baroness Jenny Chapman, the UK's Minister for International Development and Africa, recently visited Uganda to see firsthand how international partnerships are helping countries to prepare for and respond to public health emergencies.

The visit came as the UK reaffirmed its commitment to supporting the BVD response efforts in both Uganda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). Recent outbreaks have highlighted the importance of strong surveillance systems, effective coordination and cross-border collaboration. In 2025, Uganda successfully contained an outbreak of Sudan virus disease, a form of Ebola, while ongoing outbreaks in the DRC have reinforced the need for regional preparedness and rapid response capabilities.

During her visit, Baroness Chapman toured several institutions central to Uganda’s outbreak preparedness and response, including the Uganda Virus Research Institute, one of the country’s national reference laboratories, and the Infectious Diseases Institute in Kampala, a long-standing regional health security partner and member of the TDDAP2 consortium.

For Judith Nanyondo, Palladium's Uganda Country Lead for the UK-funded Tackling Deadly Diseases in Africa Programme 2 (TDDAP2), the visit was an opportunity to demonstrate how investments made before a crisis emerges can strengthen countries' ability to respond when one does.

"Baroness Chapman came to Uganda primarily to convey the UK government's commitment to supporting the Ebola response in both Uganda and the DRC," Nanyondo explains. "She was particularly interested in understanding Uganda's capacity to contain outbreaks, how partners are working together across the region, and how the UK's investments are supporting broader health systems strengthening programmes."

Coordinating a Regional Response

One of the highlights of the visit was to the Continental Incident Management Support Team (IMST), hosted at IDI. Established and run jointly by Africa CDC and the World Health Organisation Regional Office for Africa, the IMST brings together governments, technical experts and development partners to coordinate outbreak response efforts across the continent.

"The IMST is really a platform where national and international partners can sit together and provide strategic leadership and technical coordination of the Continental response,” Nanyondo explains. "It's not only supporting Uganda and the DRC but also other high-risk countries to prepare and respond effectively, guided by the “one plan, one budget, one team” approach.

Baroness Chapman joined one of the coordination meetings taking place during her visit, gaining insight into the challenges of responding to disease threats that do not respect national borders.

The importance of this regional approach has become increasingly clear as countries work to manage outbreaks while preparing for future health emergencies. Africa CDC has stressed that health security depends on coordinated action, information sharing and strong partnerships that allow countries to detect and respond to threats quickly.

Supporting the BVD Response in Uganda

The visit also highlighted the work being delivered through TDDAP2, a UK-funded programme that supports countries across Africa to prevent, detect and respond to infectious disease outbreaks and other public health threats.

At IDI's Global Health Security Department, where Palladium collaborates through TDDAP2, Baroness Chapman learned about efforts to strengthen emergency preparedness capabilities including medical countermeasures such as rapidly deployable treatment facilities, AI-enabled outbreak response, and preparedness capabilities

"One of the things that was demonstrated was the ability to quickly set up a treatment unit in the event of an emergency," notes Nanyondo. "These are the kinds of capabilities that make a real difference when an outbreak occurs because they allow countries to respond quickly and effectively."

The visit took place as TDDAP2 is supporting Uganda's response to the BVD outbreak through three key pillars: coordination, surveillance, and risk communications and community engagement. Working primarily in Kampala and Wakiso districts, TDDAP2 has deployed epidemiologists and public health specialists to strengthen local and national response efforts.

TDDAP2 is providing technical support for response planning, daily situation reporting, task force coordination , strengthening surveillance systems, and supporting community participation in the response. The programme has also contributed to the work of the IMST, helping connect local response activities with broader regional coordination mechanisms.

Stronger Health Systems for Health Security

For Nanyondo, one moment from the visit stood out. "What was particularly encouraging was that Baroness Chapman was already very aware of TDDAP2 and what the programme is doing," recalls. "For me, that was really significant."

The recognition reflects a broader understanding that effective outbreak response depends not only on emergency funding when a crisis occurs, but also on long-term investments in preparedness, workforce development and resilient health systems.

As aid budgets become more constrained, donors are looking for evidence that health programmes deliver results in their work with national governments. In Uganda, organisations including IDI, Africa CDC and WHO contribute different forms of expertise—from technical support to regional coordination to global best practices—to help strengthen outbreak preparedness and response capacity.

Partnering for Prosperity

Recent outbreaks have demonstrated that preparedness cannot begin when an emergency is declared. The systems that make effective responses possible are built long before the first case is detected.

Through TDDAP2, Palladium and its partners are supporting the Governments of Uganda and other African countries to strengthen those systems every day—from supporting epidemiologists and district response teams to training surveillance teams and engaging communities. Together, these investments help countries detect threats earlier, respond faster and reduce the risk of outbreaks spreading across borders.

"The visit really highlighted the strength of the partnerships that have been built," she adds. "When countries, institutions and partners work together, they are much better prepared to manage outbreaks and protect communities."

As disease threats continue to evolve, those partnerships remain essential not only for responding to today's emergencies, but for preventing the next one from becoming a crisis.