Uganda declares end of Ebola outbreak

Kampala – Uganda this day declared the end of the Ebola illness outbreak, much less than three months after the virus turned into once confirmed within the capital Kampala.

Within the course of this outbreak, 14 conditions, 12 confirmed and two no longer confirmed by laboratory checks (probable), had been reported. Four deaths, two confirmed and two probable, took place. Ten of us recovered from the infection. A complete of 534 of us had been often known as having been in contact with the confirmed and probable conditions and had been closely monitored.

The final confirmed patient turned into once discharged on 14 March 2025, triggering the 42-day countdown to officially bid the end of the outbreak, essentially essentially based on World Health Group (WHO) guidelines.

This turned into once Uganda’s 2d Ebola outbreak in much less than three years. It turned into once confirmed on 30 January 2025. The nation’s long-standing expertise in managing outbreaks enabled a mercurial, coordinated, and efficient response.

With beef up from WHO and companions, the Ministry of Health activated national coordination structures, deployed mercurial response groups, strengthened surveillance programs and established therapy devices. Border health measures, in particular in Kampala and at capabilities of entry, had been bolstered to forestall substandard-border transmission.

WHO mobilized more than 130 national and world physique of workers to beef up the response within the areas of case investigation, contact tracing, laboratory diagnostics, and case administration. Extra than 1500 samples had been tested with WHO offering logistics, practising and quality assurance to make particular biosafety.

WHO also facilitated the deployment of Emergency Clinical Groups and anthropologists to diminish stigma, manufacture belief and work with affected communities, which turned into once serious in riding behaviour substitute.

“This outbreak challenged us in contemporary methods. It touched each and each metropolis and rural communities across the nation and unfolded against the backdrop of critical world funding constraints,” said Dr Chikwe Ihekweazu, Acting WHO Regional Director for Africa. The response demonstrated Uganda’s long-standing management in tackling public health emergencies. As WHO, we are extremely proud to accept as true with supported these efforts every step of the methodology.”

The Ebola pressure that has been contained in Uganda is of the Sudan virus illness (SVD) subtype. This pressure is a severe, often fatal illness affecting humans and varied primates. In previous outbreaks, SVD killed 4 in 10 of the of us infected.

Regardless of the absence of licensed countermeasures against this species of Ebola, candidate vaccines are in various phases of scientific trials. Within four days of the authorities’s declaration of the outbreak, a randomized scientific trial for vaccine safety and efficacy the use of the ring vaccination come turned into once launched. As well to, the administration of Remdesivir therapy below the Monitored Emergency Spend of Unregistered and Experimental Interventions (MEURI) protocol turned into once initiated.

“Uganda’s management and resilience had been fundamental in containing this outbreak,” said Dr Kasonde Mwinga, WHO Consultant in Uganda. From day one, WHO worked hand-in-hand with the Ministry of Health, deploying expertise, offering a must accept as true with offers, and guaranteeing every suspected case turned into once investigated. The of us of Uganda accept as true with proven unprecedented unravel.”

Despite the incontrovertible fact that the outbreak is over, the Ministry of Health, with continued beef up from WHO and companions, will continue investing in surveillance, survivor care, and preparedness to make particular Uganda remains safe.