Uganda has officially announced the end of its latest Ebola outbreak, three months after the initial cases surfaced in the capital city, Kampala.
The Ministry of Health shared the development on Saturday through its official X account, celebrating the achievement as “good news” and confirming that no new infections had been recorded in the 42 days since the last patient was discharged.
The World Health Organization detailed the toll of the outbreak, stating, “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,” according to a statement.
WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus also praised Uganda’s efforts, posting on X, “Congratulations to the government and health workers of #Uganda on ending the #Ebola outbreak.” He commended the Ministry of Health for its “leadership and commitment” in tackling the virus.
Ebola outbreaks are not new to Uganda, a country with expansive tropical forests that often serve as natural habitats for the virus.
The latest outbreak was triggered by the Sudan strain of Ebola, first detected on January 30 this year after a male nurse contracted the virus and later succumbed. Unlike the Zaire strain, there is currently no approved vaccine for the Sudan strain.
This marked Uganda’s ninth Ebola outbreak since the virus was first identified in the country in 2000.
Sharing borders with the Democratic Republic of the Congo, a nation that has faced over a dozen Ebola outbreaks, including one between 2018 and 2020 that claimed nearly 2,300 lives, Uganda remains at significant risk for future flare-ups.
Originating in Kampala, a lively city of around four million residents and a major transit point connecting eastern DRC, Kenya, Rwanda, and South Sudan, the outbreak posed a serious threat.
However, health experts credit Uganda’s years of experience in battling Ebola for its swift and effective response this time around.
Ebola spreads through direct contact with the bodily fluids or tissues of infected individuals, with symptoms that include intense headaches, muscle pain, vomiting of blood, and internal bleeding.
