Uganda declares end to latest ebola outbreak after three months

Reuters

After weeks of no new infections, Uganda has officially brought its latest battle against the deadly ebola virus to a close, authorities announced on Saturday.

Uganda announced on Saturday that the country’s latest ebola outbreak has officially ended, three months after authorities confirmed infections of the highly contagious virus in the capital city, Kampala.

The Ministry of Health celebrated the news in a post on the X platform, stating that the declaration came after 42 days without a new case following the discharge of the last confirmed patient. The ministry did not specify the final total number of cases recorded during the outbreak.

The East African country first reported the outbreak on 30 January after the death of a male nurse who tested positive for the virus. By early March, the ministry had reported at least ten confirmed cases and two deaths.

The latest outbreak was caused by the Sudan strain of the ebola virus, for which no approved vaccine currently exists. Uganda has experienced nine outbreaks since it first recorded the disease in 2000. The country's frequent exposure to ebola, combined with robust public health responses, has allowed it to bring outbreaks under control relatively quickly, according to health experts.

The outbreak began in Kampala, a densely populated city of around four million people and a major transport hub linking Uganda with neighbouring countries such as the Democratic Republic of Congo, Kenya, Rwanda and South Sudan.

Uganda shares a border with the Democratic Republic of Congo, which has faced numerous ebola outbreaks, including a major one from 2018 to 2020 that resulted in nearly 2,300 deaths.

Ebola is transmitted through direct contact with the bodily fluids or tissues of infected individuals. Symptoms typically include fever, muscle pain, headache, vomiting blood, and internal or external bleeding.

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