Uganda on Saturday announced the end of its latest Ebola outbreak, three months after authorities first confirmed cases of the highly contagious and often deadly viral hemorrhagic disease in the capital, Kampala.
The East African nation declared the outbreak on January 30 following the death of a male nurse who tested positive for the virus.
“Good news! The current Ebola Sudan Virus Disease outbreak has officially been declared over,” the Ministry of Health shared in a post on X (formerly Twitter).
Click here to join our WhatsApp Group and Receive Daily News
The ministry noted that the declaration comes after 42 days passed without any new confirmed cases since the last patient was discharged.
No updated caseload figures were provided in the announcement. However, in early March, health officials reported at least ten confirmed cases and two deaths.
Uganda, which has dense tropical forests that serve as natural reservoirs for the virus, experiences Ebola outbreaks fairly regularly.
This latest episode, driven by the Sudan strain of the virus—which currently has no approved vaccine—was Uganda’s ninth outbreak since the first recorded case in 2000.
Uganda shares borders with the Democratic Republic of Congo, a country that has suffered multiple Ebola outbreaks, including a major one from 2018 to 2020 that claimed nearly 2,300 lives.
The recent outbreak emerged in Kampala, a bustling city of around four million people and a hub connecting key routes to eastern Congo, Kenya, Rwanda, and South Sudan.
Despite the frequency of outbreaks, Uganda’s experience in managing the virus has enabled it to control infections more swiftly over the years, according to health experts.
Ebola spreads through contact with bodily fluids or tissues of infected individuals, and symptoms typically include headaches, muscle pain, bleeding, and vomiting blood.
Also Read: Amama Mbabazi’s Daughter Wanted Over Unpaid Shs 450m Loan
