KAMPALA: Ugandan health authorities announced on Saturday that the country's most recent Ebola outbreak has officially been contained, three months after initial cases were confirmed in the capital, Kampala.
The outbreak was first reported on January 30, following the death of a male nurse who tested positive for the virus.
"Great news! Uganda's Ebola Sudan Virus Disease outbreak is officially over," the Ministry of Health said in a statement shared on X (formerly Twitter). Officials confirmed the decision came after 42 consecutive days without any new infections following the discharge of the last known patient.
The ministry did not provide an updated figure for total cases in its announcement. However, as of early March, authorities had reported at least ten infections and two fatalities.
Uganda, home to vast tropical forests where the Ebola virus naturally exists, has faced multiple outbreaks since first encountering the disease in 2000. The recent episode involved the Sudan strain of the virus, for which no licensed vaccine currently exists. It marks the country's ninth recorded outbreak.
The Democratic Republic of Congo, Uganda’s neighbor, has also faced numerous Ebola epidemics, including a devastating 2018-2020 outbreak that claimed nearly 2,300 lives.
The latest Ugandan outbreak began in Kampala, a bustling metropolis of four million people and a major transport hub linking to Congo, Kenya, Rwanda, and South Sudan.
Despite frequent encounters with Ebola, Uganda's extensive experience in managing the disease has helped it quickly bring outbreaks under control.
Ebola is spread through contact with infected bodily fluids and tissue, and symptoms typically include severe headache, muscle pain, vomiting blood, and bleeding.
