Kampala, Uganda. Uganda discharged its last remaining Ebola patient on Thursday, starting a 42-day countdown after which the country can be declared free of the virus if no new cases are reported.
The East African nation has confirmed 20 cases of the rare Bundibugyo strain of Ebola since mid-May, with 15 involving people infected in neighbouring Democratic Republic of Congo who later travelled to Uganda.
Last patient discharged
Uganda’s health ministry said the final patient, a Congolese national, had recovered and was ready to reunite with family.
“Today, Uganda has discharged the last Ebola patient, a Congolese national who has successfully recovered and (is) ready to be with his family,” the ministry said in a post on X.
Government spokesperson Alan Kasujja said on Wednesday that the patient would be released from an isolation unit at Mulago National Referral Hospital in Kampala.
Countdown to Ebola-free status
Uganda has not reported a new Ebola case since June 22.
Kasujja said the country had begun its countdown and that World Health Organization guidelines require 42 days without a new case before Uganda can be declared Ebola-free.
Outbreak in Democratic Republic of Congo
The outbreak remains active in the Democratic Republic of Congo, where 62 new cases were reported on Thursday, bringing the total number of confirmed infections to 2,073.
The World Health Organization has said the actual number of cases in Congo could be at least twice the confirmed total.