Uganda becomes Ebola free: not a single new case for 42 days, WHO chief praises

According to the WHO, for a country to be declared Ebola-free, it must go 42 days (two 21-day incubation cycles of the virus) without reporting any new cases.

international

oi-Sanjay Kumar Jha

Published: Wednesday, January 11, 2023, 21:35 [IST]

File Image: PTI

Uganda on Wednesday declared an end to an Ebola virus outbreak. Earlier, Uganda’s health minister said on Tuesday that the country has completed the 42-day countdown to be declared Ebola-free and has not reported a single new case during this period. According to the WHO, for a country to be declared Ebola-free, it must go 42 days (two 21-day incubation cycles of the virus) without reporting any new cases.

WHO also confirmed

The statement issued by the World Health Organization (WHO) has also confirmed Uganda to be Ebola-free. WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus has praised the East African country’s “robust and comprehensive response” to the widespread elimination of the Ebola virus from the country. He said Uganda has shown that Ebola can be defeated.

55 people died

An official event was held in Mubende district on Wednesday to declare Uganda free of Ebola. Mubende was the epicenter of Ebola. Addressing the event, Health Minister Jane Ruth Eking said that Uganda is now Ebola free. He said that since the first case of Ebola was reported in the country on September 20, a total of 55 people have died so far. During this, he appreciated the vigilance of the public in helping to eliminate the outbreak of Ebola virus in the country.

The last patient was cured on 30 November

Health Minister Akeng said that today, January 11, marks 113 days since the beginning of the pandemic. Figures from the Ministry of Health show that a total of 142 cases of Ebola had been reported in Uganda. Out of this, 55 people died while 87 people recovered from the virus. According to health officials, the last patient was discharged from the hospital on November 30. Although the case of Ebola had reached the capital Kapala, but the two districts Mubende and Kasanda were most affected by it. The lockdown was enforced in these two districts for two months till mid-December.

Uganda was affected by Sudan Ebola virus

Uganda, Sudan was affected by the Ebola virus. Sudan Ebola virus is one of the 6 species of Ebola. There is currently no definite vaccine to protect against this virus. The previous outbreak of Ebola in Uganda occurred in 2019. During this, at least 5 people had died in the country. More than 11,300 people died of Ebola in West Africa between 2013 and 2016.

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