Uganda declares itself free of Ebola following the discharge of the last reported patient from the country. Multiple outlets report that the final patient was a Congolese national and that the patient is discharged on June 22. Uganda’s health authorities make the declaration after the outbreak is contained locally, with no further transmission recorded.
The reports also place the development in the broader regional context. Congo is still dealing with a large ongoing Ebola outbreak, with thousands of cases reported there, and Uganda’s cases are described as imported from the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
One outlet notes that Uganda’s declaration comes before the full World Health Organization waiting period typically used to officially declare an outbreak ended. The WHO guideline referenced is a 42-day period after the discharge or death of the last Ebola case. Despite the timing, Uganda’s health minister publicly declares the country Ebola-free over two months after the outbreak was first declared.
Overall, the sources agree on the containment of Uganda’s outbreak, the June 22 discharge of the last patient, and the continued scale of the Ebola situation in Congo.
