Uganda discharges last Ebola patient and begins 42-day countdown to outbreak end

Uganda has discharged its last confirmed Ebola patient from an isolation centre at Mulago national referral hospital in Kampala, marking a key step in the country's response to the outbreak. The discharge on Thursday triggered a 42-day countdown before the outbreak can be officially declared over, provided no new infections are detected. Officials say the move also strengthens their case for countries to lift travel restrictions linked to the outbreak.

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The patient discharged was a Congolese national, according to the information provided by the health ministry. Uganda's health minister, Chris Baryomunsi, said the country was still not Ebola-free and that it remained on alert. He said the outbreak was an imported one and stressed that the situation in Uganda was different from the wider Ebola emergency in the neighbouring Democratic Republic of the Congo.

The outbreak in Uganda infected 20 people and caused two deaths. Among the confirmed cases were 15 Congolese nationals, four health workers and one driver, showing that the response involved both community transmission risks and exposure among frontline staff. The World Health Organization requires two consecutive 21-day incubation periods without a new case before an outbreak can be declared over, which is why the 42-day countdown now matters.

Uganda says 15 countries still maintain either partial or full travel restrictions because of the outbreak, and officials argue that the measures have hurt tourism, trade and business. Baryomunsi said the government is engaging those countries and asking them to reopen access so that the economy does not suffer further. The appeal reflects the tension between public-health caution and the economic cost of prolonged restrictions.

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The outbreak was first declared by the World Health Organization on 17 May and was caused by the Bundibugyo strain of the virus. Uganda's response has been described by WHO's representative in the country, Kasonde Mwinga, as evidence of the value of sustained investment in epidemic preparedness. She said the case fatality rate was less than 10%, which she described as unusually low for Ebola outbreaks.

What remains unclear is whether any new cases will emerge during the countdown period and how quickly travel restrictions may be eased. Uganda will only be able to declare the outbreak over if it completes the full WHO monitoring period without another infection. The wider regional context also remains important, as the Democratic Republic of the Congo continues to report a much larger Ebola outbreak.

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