Uganda declares end of nearly 4-month Ebola outbreak

KAMPALA, Uganda

Uganda on Wednesday declared the end of an Ebola outbreak that claimed at least 55 lives in nearly four months.

Health Minister Jane Ruth Aceng said no new case has been detected since Nov. 27.

Under the World Health Organization’s guidelines, a country is declared free of Ebola if there are no infections for 42 days.

“We have successfully controlled the spread of Ebola in Uganda,” said Aceng.

Uganda declared its latest Ebola outbreak last September, with officials saying it was caused by the virus’ relatively rare Sudan strain, which has no approved vaccine or drug treatment.

The number of infections and deaths tapered off after an initial burst, with the overall count at 55 fatalities and 142 cases, according to the Health Ministry.

Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, head of the World Health Organization, lauded Uganda’s “government, health workers, and communities for their “dedication to end the Ebola outbreak in less than four months.”

“Even in the absence of approved vaccines or therapeutics for this species of Ebola, Uganda was able to use proven public health tools to contain the outbreak,” he said in a statement.

“I salute the dedicated health workers, partners, and communities who worked day and night to save lives.”

Sara Sempa, a businesswoman in the capital Kampala, hailed the end of the outbreak as “good news for the new year.”

“We have lost a lot as a country. We had hardly recovered from COVID-19, which devastated our businesses, before Ebola was here,” she told Anadolu.

“I hope businesses and the overall business environment stabilizes quickly,” she added.

Simplicious Gessa, spokesperson for the Uganda Tourism Board, said the country’s tourism sector is hoping for a much-needed boost.

“Unlike COVID-19, which was a global thing, Ebola singled out Uganda,” he said, adding that industry operators are looking forward to welcoming tourists back in the country.