Kampala, August 3: The Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) commended Uganda on Monday for successfully managing its recent Ebola outbreak. The organization attributed this achievement to strong national leadership and collaborative efforts from all stakeholders involved.
Africa CDC Director-General Jean Kaseya shared this message on the social media platform X. He co-chaired a meeting in Kampala with the World Health Organization (WHO) Regional Director for Africa, Dr. Mohammed Yakubu Janabi, along with officials from Uganda’s Ministry of Health.
Kaseya stated, “We commend Uganda for successfully controlling the Ebola outbreak through strong national leadership and coordinated efforts.” He emphasized the importance of maintaining this achievement. Continuous preparedness, vigilant monitoring, and improved cross-border coordination will be essential to prevent future infections and strengthen health security across the region.
According to reports from Xinhua News Agency, Uganda officially declared the end of the Ebola outbreak on July 28. This announcement came before the completion of the WHO’s standard 42-day monitoring period. Uganda discharged its last Ebola patient on July 16 after testing negative for the virus.
In contrast, the ongoing Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) has become the largest in the country’s history. The WHO reported on Saturday that it has surpassed the previous major outbreak that occurred from 2018 to 2020.
As of Thursday, the latest WHO report indicated that there have been 3,605 confirmed cases of Ebola caused by the Bundibugyo virus in DRC, with 1,587 fatalities, resulting in a mortality rate of approximately 44 percent. The previous largest outbreak recorded 3,317 confirmed cases during the 2018-2020 period in the eastern region.
Initially, the current outbreak was confined to the Mongbwalu health zone in Ituri Province. However, in the past two months, it has spread to 49 health zones across five provinces, including Ituri, North Kivu, South Kivu, Tshopo, and Haut-Uele.
The outbreak has severely impacted healthcare workers, with 151 infected and 44 fatalities reported. The WHO noted that this highlights ongoing deficiencies in infection prevention and control measures within healthcare institutions.
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