Uganda Declares End of Latest Ebola Outbreak
KAMPALA, Uganda — The East African nation has officially declared the end of its recent Ebola outbreak, three months after the first cases emerged in the capital city. The Ministry of Health announced on Saturday that it has been 42 days without new infections since the last patient was discharged, marking a significant milestone in public health.
The outbreak began on January 30 when a male nurse tested positive for the virus and later succumbed to the illness. Officials reported a total of 14 cases—12 confirmed and two probable—along with four fatalities, comprising two confirmed and two probable deaths. The World Health Organization (WHO) confirmed that ten individuals successfully recovered from the virus during this outbreak.
WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus praised the Ugandan Health Ministry for its effective response, stating, "Congratulations to the government and health workers of Uganda on ending the Ebola outbreak" on the social media platform X.
Ebola is endemic to Uganda, with the country’s dense tropical forests serving as natural reservoirs for the virus. The latest outbreak was caused by the Sudan strain, which currently lacks an approved vaccine. This marks Uganda’s ninth outbreak since the first recorded infection in 2000, highlighting the ongoing challenge of Ebola management in a region that neighbors the Democratic Republic of the Congo, known for its frequent outbreaks, including a devastating epidemic from 2018 to 2020.
Health experts emphasize that Uganda’s experience in addressing past outbreaks has been instrumental in its swift control measures. As a bustling city of four million, Kampala serves as a crucial transit hub in East Africa, increasing the urgency to combat such infectious diseases. The Ugandan authorities continue to remain vigilant against the potential resurgence of Ebola.
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Photo credit www.aljazeera.com
