Uganda has declared itself an ebola-free country after an imported outbreak was contained and the last patient was discharged in mid-June.
Uganda’s declaration marks the end of its outbreak after contacts completed quarantine and no further community transmission was detected, but the larger outbreak in neighbouring DR Congo continues to spread rapidly.
The Ugandan health ministry in a statement said on Tuesday that the outbreak in the country was linked to the wider outbreak in eastern Congo’s Ituri province, which shares a land border with Uganda.
Uganda has suffered multiple outbreaks of ebola since 2000, when it recorded its first epidemic, and officials said over the years, the country gained expertise it has used to bring recent infections under control quickly with limited community spread.
The ministry said Uganda could now be declared free of ebola after “all identified contacts were institutionally quarantined and completed the mandatory 21-day follow-up without evidence of further transmission.
The outbreak was caused by the Bundibugyo type of ebola virus, for which there is no approved vaccine or treatment. The regional outbreak has been declared as a global health emergency.
Tracing and isolating contacts is seen as crucial to stopping the disease, which usually appears as haemorrhagic fever.
Ugandan authorities, who have experience in containing ebola outbreaks, took a series of steps after cases were confirmed in May. President Yoweri Museveni urged people to “stop shaking hands” and postponed an annual religious event near Kampala in June that draws thousands of pilgrims from DR Congo and elsewhere.
Other measures included suspending all public transport and flights between Uganda and DR Congo, where the outbreak remains a concern. In an overnight update, Congolese health ministry said confirmed cases had reached 3,262.
Data from Congolese health authorities showed that 1,437 patients had died, and officials have described it as the fastest ebola outbreak on record. The number of cases is likely to overtake the country’s previous highest toll in the next few days. That earlier outbreak lasted two years, while this one is only 10 weeks in.
The World Health Organization says a family of fruit bats is believed to be the natural host of the viruses that cause ebola, which spreads through contact with the bodily fluids of an infected person or contaminated materials.
MG/as/APA