Uganda’s Ebola battle enters its final test

What the report says

The Independent Uganda reports that Uganda has begun the final monitoring stage of its latest Ebola response after the last confirmed patient was discharged from the Mulago National Isolation Centre. The 42-day countdown began on July 16 and follows World Health Organization guidance requiring two full 21-day incubation periods with no new infections before an outbreak can be declared over.

Health officials described the discharge as an important step but warned that the response remains active. Dr Charles Olaro, the Ministry of Health’s Director General of Health Services, said the country must complete the surveillance window before the outbreak can be considered finished. Health Minister Dr Chris Baryomunsi said surveillance teams, rapid response units and community health workers will stay alert, while the National Task Force reviews whether restrictions on markets and public gatherings in high-risk areas can be eased.

The report says Uganda is also focused on cross-border risk because Ebola activity continues in neighbouring Democratic Republic of Congo. Uganda and the DRC have strengthened cooperation through a memorandum of understanding, with Ugandan health workers assisting response work in eastern Congo and treatment centres set up near the shared border. Public health messaging continues in border communities, including radio broadcasts in local languages.

At Mulago, Dr David Kaggwa said the Ebola Treatment Unit handled more than 160 suspected cases in addition to confirmed patients, highlighting the importance of safe isolation and diagnosis. WHO Representative Dr Kasonde Mwinga credited Uganda’s emergency teams, laboratories, treatment centres and supplies for a faster response, and said the outbreak recorded mortality below 10%. Officials also noted that no healthcare worker contracted Ebola during patient care, which they linked to infection prevention measures.