Uganda has officially declared the end of its latest Ebola outbreak, three months after the first cases were reported in the capital region of Kampala.
The latest outbreak was announced on January 30 after the death of a male nurse who tested positive for the virus.
The Ministry of Health announced the news on the social media platform X. “Good news! The current Ebola Sudan Virus Disease outbreak has officially come to an end,” it said. It added the declaration of the end of the outbreak, followed by 42 days “without a new case since the last confirmed patient was discharged.”
World Health Organisation chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus applauded the Ugandan Health Ministry for its “leadership and commitment” in overcoming the outbreak. The WHO said 14 cases and two deaths were reported during the outbreak.
Ebola infections are frequent in Uganda, which has many tropical forests that are natural reservoirs for the virus. The latest outbreak, caused by the Sudan strain of the virus, which has no approved vaccine, was Uganda’s ninth since the country recorded its first infection in 2000.
Ebola is spread through contact with infected bodily fluids and tissues, with symptoms such as severe headache, muscle pain, vomiting blood and internal bleeding.
