Uganda ends Ebola outbreak as Congo battles rising cases

Uganda has gone 42 days without recording a new Ebola infection, marking the end of the latest outbreak in the East African country, the World Health Organization (WHO) said.

A representative of the WHO Africa regional office said in Addis Ababa that Uganda had completed two full incubation periods without a new case, meeting the criteria for declaring the outbreak over, dpa reports.

The WHO announced the Ebola outbreak in Uganda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) on May 15. Uganda recorded 20 confirmed cases, all linked to a patient who had arrived from the DRC. Two people died.

The outbreak in the DRC, however, continues to spread. According to the WHO, the virus may have been circulating undetected there since February, with some early infections initially misdiagnosed as malaria.

The outbreak is being driven by the Bundibugyo strain of Ebola, which can cause less distinctive symptoms than the more common Zaire strain, potentially making early detection more difficult.

In the DRC, the disease has now been reported in six provinces, with the northeastern province of Ituri emerging as the main focus. Ituri borders Uganda, raising concerns over the potential for cross-border transmission.

According to the Institute of Public Health, the DRC has recorded 5,713 confirmed Ebola cases since the outbreak was announced, while 2,744 people have died. A further 770 patients are currently receiving treatment at specialized facilities or remain in isolation.

The contrasting situations in the two neighboring countries highlight the importance of sustained surveillance and cross-border health measures, particularly in communities along the Uganda-DRC frontier.

While Uganda’s 42-day period without a new infection allows authorities to declare the outbreak over, health officials are expected to maintain monitoring to quickly identify and contain any potential resurgence.

By Vafa Guliyeva