Uganda declared Ebola-free after 42-day monitoring period

The World Health Organization (WHO) and the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) have officially declared the end of the Ebola outbreak in Uganda. The announcement follows the successful completion of a 42-day monitoring period during which no new cases were recorded, meeting the international benchmark for confirming that transmission chains have been halted.

The outbreak, which was first declared on May 15, involved 20 confirmed cases of the Bundibugyo virus. Of these, 15 cases were imported from the Democratic Republic of the Congo, while five were locally acquired. The outbreak resulted in two deaths, while 18 patients recovered.

Health authorities attributed the containment to robust national measures, including heightened surveillance, prompt case identification, contact tracing, and rigorous monitoring at health facilities and strategic border entry points. WHO Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus commended the Ugandan government, noting that the response demonstrated how proactive health systems and rapid detection can manage crises while maintaining essential economic and trade activities.