In brief
Uganda has discharged the final confirmed Ebola patient, ending all active cases in the country. Health Minister Dr Chris Baryomunsi marked the event with a ceremony that highlighted the successes of early detection, swift treatment and a robust health system. With the last patient gone, Uganda enters a 42‑day period of observation before it can be declared completely Ebola‑free. The outbreak’s epicentre remains in the Democratic Republic of Congo, where the virus continues to spread rapidly and casualties rise amid challenges in diagnosis, treatment and community trust.
Uganda has discharged the last confirmed Ebola patient, officially ending all active cases in the country.
At a ceremony marked the moment, Health Minister Dr Chris Baryomunsi described the discharge as a “moment of joy”. The first case, confirmed in May, involved a man who had travelled from the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), the outbreak’s epicentre where almost 800 people have died.
WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus warned that the outbreak is now the third‑largest on record and is spreading at a frightening pace in the DRC, with 80% of new cases coming from previously unknown transmission chains.
As the DRC continues to battle the spread of the virus, the United States has extended travel restrictions on its citizens who have been in the country.
Uganda, which recorded 20 confirmed cases and two deaths across its borders—mostly visitors from the DRC—has now entered a 42‑day countdown. If no new infections emerge, the nation will be officially declared Ebola‑free.
The health ministry urges people to remain vigilant: “If you develop symptoms such as fever, vomiting, diarrhoea or unexplained bleeding, seek immediate medical care,” the ministry said in a statement on X.
For the DRC, health workers are racing to provide care with insufficient beds and limited contact‑tracing resources, while suspicion from local communities hinders effective response. WHO has requested $115 million (£85 million) to address the outbreak but has only received $45 million so far, calling the investment a matter of national security rather than charity.
There is currently no vaccine or approved treatment for the Bundibugyo strain of Ebola, and the situation underscores the global need for rapid vaccine development, robust surveillance and international cooperation.
