BY FAITH MWENDE
Uganda has officially ended its most recent Ebola outbreak, three months after the virus was first detected in the capital city, Kampala.
The Ministry of Health confirmed the development on Saturday through a post on X, stating, “Good news! The current Ebola Sudan Virus Disease outbreak has officially come to an end.” The ministry noted that the declaration followed 42 consecutive days without a new infection since the last patient was discharged. However, it did not update the final number of confirmed cases.
When last reported in early March, Uganda had recorded at least ten infections and two deaths related to the outbreak.
The outbreak, caused by the Sudan strain of the Ebola virus — for which no licensed vaccine currently exists — was Uganda’s ninth since its first recorded Ebola case in 2000. Uganda’s dense tropical forests, natural reservoirs for the virus, have made it prone to recurrent outbreaks.
This particular episode began in Kampala, a city of roughly four million people and a major transportation hub linking Uganda to eastern Congo, Kenya, Rwanda, and South Sudan. Despite the frequent outbreaks, health experts credit Uganda’s extensive experience in managing the disease for the rapid containment efforts.
Neighboring the Democratic Republic of Congo — a country that experienced a devastating Ebola outbreak between 2018 and 2020, killing nearly 2,300 people — Uganda remains vigilant against the virus’s spread.
Ebola is transmitted through direct contact with infected bodily fluids and tissues, with symptoms including severe headaches, muscle pain, vomiting blood, and internal and external bleeding.
