Uganda has officially declared the end of its latest Ebola virus outbreak, which began in late January and resulted in at least two confirmed deaths.
The declaration was made on Saturday, 42 days after the last confirmed patient was discharged from hospital—meeting the World Health Organization’s (WHO) threshold for announcing the end of an outbreak.
This marks the sixth time Uganda has battled the deadly virus, which has six different strains, three of which have caused major epidemics. During the latest outbreak, a total of 14 cases were recorded—12 confirmed through laboratory tests and two classified as probable. Four deaths occurred, including two confirmed cases and two probable ones, while 10 individuals recovered.
According to the WHO, the outbreak involved the Sudan strain of the Ebola virus, which led to the deaths of a four-year-old child and a nurse. Several dozen contacts were monitored during the response, the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) reported.
Uganda’s health ministry announced the end of the outbreak in a post on X (formerly Twitter), stating: “The current Ebola Sudan Virus Disease outbreak has officially come to an end.”
WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus praised Uganda’s health authorities for their swift action, leadership, and commitment. “Congratulations to the government and health workers of #Uganda on ending the #Ebola outbreak,” he posted on X.
There is currently no approved vaccine for the Sudan strain of Ebola. However, Uganda launched a vaccination trial in February during the outbreak—a move the WHO described as the “fastest roll-out” of an Ebola vaccine trial during an epidemic.
Despite this success, international funding for health efforts remains a concern. In early March, the United Nations appealed for $11.2 million to support the Ebola response, following the U.S. decision to cut back on most humanitarian aid.
Ebola is transmitted through contact with the bodily fluids of an infected person, typically after symptoms appear. These symptoms include fever, vomiting, bleeding, and diarrhoea, and usually develop between two and 21 days after infection.
Over the past 50 years, more than 15,000 people across Africa have died from Ebola across all six known strains.
