World Health Organization Declares Uganda Ebola-Free After 42 Days Without New Cases

The World Health Organization (WHO) has declared Uganda free of Ebola after the country completed a mandatory 42-day monitoring period without any new cases. The announcement was made during a joint news conference on Tuesday with Uganda’s Ministry of Health. This declaration follows Uganda's own assessment that the local outbreak was over, which was made approximately one month prior. Diana Atwine, the permanent secretary for Uganda’s Health Ministry, stated, "We had assessed the risk, we had assessed the whole chain of transmission and the dynamics of importation of the virus in the country, and we knew that we were free from Ebola." Atwine urged countries that had imposed travel restrictions on Uganda during the outbreak to lift them, saying, "Unless they have other reasons, they should definitely lift the restrictions off the country, and Ugandans should be free to travel to any country." Uganda reported a total of 20 Ebola infections, with the last confirmed case recorded on June 21, and two deaths attributed to the virus. The last patient was discharged from Mulago National Referral Isolation Centre on July 16, and the Health Ministry formally declared the outbreak over on July 28. In contrast, the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) is worsening, with confirmed cases reaching 5,656 as of August 25, an increase of 72 cases from the previous day. The DRC has recorded a total of 2,715 deaths. Ituri province, located in the northeast of the DRC, remains the epicenter of the outbreak, with over 4,700 infections reported. Uganda shares a border with the DRC, extending more than 877 km (500 miles). Kasonde Mwinga, the WHO’s representative for Uganda, noted that the country is enhancing treatment and laboratory capacity at two sites across the border in Aru and Kasenyi, both located in Ituri province. Mwinga mentioned that the model for cross-border collaboration could be expanded regionally. Uganda has also announced plans to open two additional Ebola treatment centers in the DRC, increasing the total to four. On Monday, Ugandan and Congolese officials met in Kampala to review a bilateral memorandum of understanding on cross-border health security. Kenneth Akiiri, the undersecretary for Uganda’s Health Ministry, called for the WHO and the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to mobilize additional resources, stating, "When you are vulnerable and you have little resources, you are supposed to raise an alarm for help." DRC delegation head Adelard Lufungula emphasized the need for strong action against the virus, saying, "We want to fight Ebola like a war."