Uganda says the most recent ebola outbreak is over

Uganda announced the end of its most recent ebola outbreak on Saturday, three months after officials in the capital Kampala verified instances of the highly contagious and frequently lethal viral hemorrhagic disease.

A male nurse who tested positive for the virus died, prompting the East African nation to declare its most recent epidemic on January 30.

“Excellent! Officially, the current outbreak of the Ebola Sudan Virus Disease is over,” the health ministry announced in a statement on the X platform.

It further stated that the outbreak was declared to be over after 42 days “without a new case since the last confirmed patient was discharged.”
The most recent caseload total during the outbreak was not provided by the ministry in the post.

The ministry stated that at least ten cases had been documented with two fatalities when it last provided an update on the caseload in early March.

Given the abundance of tropical woods in Uganda, which serve as the virus’s natural reservoirs, Ebola cases are common there.

Since Uganda’s first infection in 2000, there have been nine outbreaks, the most recent of which was brought on by the Sudan strain of the virus, for which there is currently no licensed vaccine.

Along with Uganda, the Democratic Republic of the Congo has experienced more than a dozen outbreaks, including one that killed close to 2,300 people in 2018–2020.

Approximately four million people live in Kampala, a bustling metropolis that serves as a hub for routes leading to South Sudan, Kenya, Rwanda, and the eastern Congo. This is where the outbreak began.

The nation has been able to use its experience fighting the disease over the years to bring outbreaks under control rather rapidly, despite the fact that they have been frequent.

Contact with infected bodily fluids and tissue can spread Ebola. Muscle aches, bleeding, headaches, and blood in the vomit are some of the symptoms.