Key facts
- Uganda discharged its last Ebola patient, ending active cases.
- A 42-day period without new infections is required for Uganda to be declared Ebola-free.
- The outbreak involved 20 cases and two deaths.
- Uganda's health minister is lobbying for the lifting of travel restrictions.
- The Democratic Republic of Congo has a significantly larger ongoing Ebola outbreak.
Uganda has discharged its last Ebola patient, a Congolese national, from the Mulago national referral hospital, initiating a 42-day countdown to being declared Ebola-free by the World Health Organization. The outbreak, caused by the Bundibugyo strain, resulted in 20 confirmed cases and two deaths in Uganda, a stark contrast to the ongoing epidemic in the Democratic Republic of Congo, which has reported over 2,000 cases and nearly 800 deaths. Health Minister Dr. Chris Baryomunsi stated that while progress has been made, the country remains on high alert due to the situation in the DRC and is engaging with countries to lift travel restrictions that have impacted tourism and trade. Uganda's successful response, characterized by a low case fatality rate of less than 10%, is attributed to sustained investment in epidemic preparedness, including established treatment facilities and trained medical teams. The outbreak has also spurred scientific efforts, with Oxford University launching the first Phase I clinical trial for a vaccine candidate targeting the Bundibugyo strain. Uganda is also cooperating with the DRC, sending health experts and laboratories to aid in containing the outbreak across the border.