WHO declares Uganda Ebola-free

The World Health Organisation (WHO) has declared Uganda free of Ebola after the country passed a mandatory 42-day monitoring period without any new cases. This announcement was made alongside Uganda’s Ministry of Health at a joint news conference on Tuesday. However, the declaration came roughly a month after Uganda had declared the local outbreak over based on its own analysis of the virus’s spread.

Diana Atwine, the permanent secretary for Uganda’s Health Ministry, stated that the country's risk assessment confirmed they were Ebola-free. Uganda reported 20 Ebola infections during the outbreak, with two deaths. The last confirmed case was recorded on June 21, and the last patient was discharged on July 16. Atwine urged other countries that had imposed travel restrictions on Uganda to lift them, allowing Ugandans to travel freely.

The WHO's representative for Uganda, Kasonde Mwinga, mentioned that Uganda is supporting treatment and laboratory capacity in the DRC, and the model for cross-border collaboration could be expanded regionally. Uganda has also announced plans to open two additional Ebola treatment centres in the DRC, bringing the total to four.