Ministry: Uganda close to be declared Ebola-free

Members of the Ugandan Medical staff of the Ebola Treatment Unit stand inside the ward in Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) at Mubende Regional Referral Hospital in Uganda on Sept 24, 2022. (BADRU KATUMBA / AFP)

KAMPALA – Uganda is expected to be declared Ebola-free on Wednesday if no new case is registered by then, the Ministry of Health said here Monday.

A ministry statement said that the ministry and its partners are expected to announce the news on Jan 11 in the central Ugandan district of Mubende, the epicenter of the outbreak that was first reported on Sept 20, 2022.

The World Health Organization says for a country to be declared Ebola-free, it should spend 42 days (two 21-day incubation cycles of the virus) without any new cases reported.

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Ministry of Health figures issued as of Nov. 30 show that the country had registered 142 confirmed cases, 56 deaths, and 86 recoveries.