Uganda has declared the end of an Ebola outbreak in the capital Kampala, less than three months after the virus was confirmed.
- •According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), four people died of the virus and ten recovered, while authorities monitored a total of 534 people who had been in contact with the confirmed and probable cases.
- •The last patient was discharged in March, triggering a 42-day countdown to declare the end of the outbreak.
- •The recent outbreak, confirmed on 30 January, was the country’s second of the same strain in less than three years.
“This outbreak challenged us in new ways. It touched both urban and rural communities across the country and unfolded against the backdrop of significant global funding constraints,” said Dr. Chikwe Ihekweazu, Acting WHO Regional Director for Africa. He added that the response demonstrated Uganda’s long-standing leadership in tackling public health emergencies.
The outbreak was of the deadly Sudan Virus Disease (SVD) strain, which has previously had a 40% mortality rate.
To assist Uganda’s ministry of health’s efforts, the WHO said it deployed 165 multidisciplinary Rapid Response Team members to hotspots, and spent US $6.2 million for the response. It also supported 78 Emergency medical teams.
In addition to continued monitoring and ongoing studies to identify the source of the infection, Uganda is also the epicentre of efforts to find a vaccine against the SVD strain.
