Daijiworld Media Network - Kampala
Kampala, Jul 7: Uganda has successfully contained the spread of Ebola nearly two months after the outbreak was declared, with health authorities crediting swift surveillance, treatment and contact-tracing measures for preventing wider transmission.
Diana Atwine, Permanent Secretary at the Ministry of Health, announced that all confirmed imported cases and the locally transmitted infections linked to them had been brought under control. She said the country's response included prompt treatment of patients, identification and quarantine of contacts, and the provision of appropriate medical care.
Uganda has also strengthened preventive measures along its border with the Democratic Republic of Congo, where the current Ebola outbreak remains concentrated, to minimise the risk of further imported infections.
The health official added that the government has begun engaging countries that imposed travel restrictions because of the outbreak, seeking the removal of those measures following the improved public health situation.
In a further step to combat the disease, Uganda has dispatched a medical support team, two mobile laboratories and logistical assistance to neighbouring Congo. The joint initiative aims to reinforce cross-border surveillance, reduce the movement of infected patients into Uganda for treatment and help bring the outbreak under control more quickly.
According to the Ministry of Health, Uganda has reported a total of 20 confirmed Ebola cases since the outbreak was declared on May 15. The cases include 15 infections imported from Congo and five resulting from local transmission.
Of the confirmed patients, 16 have recovered, two remain under treatment in hospital and two have died.
Health authorities said the mandatory 42-day countdown required before Uganda can officially be declared Ebola-free will begin only after the last confirmed patient is no longer capable of transmitting the virus. If no additional infections are detected during that period, the outbreak will be formally declared over.