Uganda declares end of latest Ebola outbreak after three months
ALJAZEERA
Uganda has officially declared the end of its latest Ebola outbreak, three months after the first cases appeared in the capital, Kampala.
The Ministry of Health announced the development Saturday via its official X account, calling it “good news” and confirming 42 days had passed without new infections since the last patient’s discharge.
“During this outbreak, 14 cases, 12 confirmed and two not confirmed through laboratory tests [probable], were reported. Four deaths, two confirmed and two probable, occurred. Ten people recovered from the infection,” the World Health Organization (WHO) said in a statement.
WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus praised Uganda’s “leadership and commitment,” adding, “Congratulations to the government and health workers of #Uganda on ending the #Ebola outbreak.”
The outbreak, caused by the Sudan strain with no approved vaccine, began January 30 with the death of a male nurse. Uganda, which recorded its first Ebola case in 2000, remains vulnerable due to its proximity to the DRC.