Kampala, Aug 3 (IANS) The Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) on Monday praised Uganda for successfully containing its latest Ebola outbreak, attributing the achievement to strong national leadership and coordinated action.
Africa CDC Director-General Jean Kaseya made the remarks on social media platform X after co-chairing a meeting in Kampala with World Health Organisation (WHO) Regional Director for Africa Mohamed Yakub Janabi and officials from Uganda’s Ministry of Health.
“We commended Uganda for successfully containing the Ebola outbreak through strong national leadership and coordinated action,” wrote Kaseya.
“This progress must be protected. Sustained preparedness, vigilant surveillance, and strong cross-border coordination remain essential to prevent further transmission and strengthen health security across the region,” he added.
Uganda declared the end of the Ebola outbreak on July 28, Xinhua News Agency reported.
The announcement came before the completion of the WHO’s standard 42-day countdown following the discharge of the last patient. Uganda discharged its last Ebola patient on July 16 after the individual tested negative for the virus.
The ongoing Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) has become the largest ever recorded in the country, surpassing the 2018-2020 epidemic, the World Health Organisation (WHO) said Saturday.
As of Thursday, the DRC had reported 3,605 confirmed cases of Ebola disease caused by the Bundibugyo virus, including 1,587 deaths, representing a case fatality rate of 44 per cent, the WHO said in its latest disease outbreak report.
The previous largest outbreak, which struck the country’s east between 2018 and 2020, recorded 3,317 confirmed cases.
The current outbreak, initially confined to the Mongbwalu health zone in the province of Ituri, has spread over the past two months to 49 health zones across five provinces: Ituri, North Kivu, South Kivu, Haut-Uele and Tshopo.
The outbreak has also taken a growing toll on health workers, with 151 infections and 44 deaths reported so far, highlighting persistent gaps in infection prevention and control at health facilities, the WHO said.
–IANS
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