Uganda declares end of Ebola outbreak

Uganda's Ministry of Health has declared the end of the deadly Ebola outbreak in the East African country, 42 days after the last confirmed case was recorded. "The declaration follows completion of 42 days of the Post Ebola Surveillance countdown period which is a prerequisite of the World Health Organization (WHO) requiring any affected country to monitor the Ebola situation for a specific period before finally declaring an end of the outbreak," the ministry said in a statement issued here late Wednesday. The outbreak was declared on Nov. 14 after receiving confirmatory laboratory results that two people in the central Ugandan district of Luweero had died of Ebola. The outbreak came a month after declaring an end to the Ebola epidemic in the mid western Ugandan district of Kibaale. During the Luweero outbreak, seven cases were reported in which nearly 90 percent of the victims were relatives living in the same area as the index case. Christine Ondoa, minister of health, said the structures previously set up to contain the outbreaks in various districts were still operational to combat any potential risks. The ministry said WHO is committed to support it to conduct a comprehensive evaluation of the recent viral hemorrhagic fever outbreaks that will inform response to the future outbreaks. Ebola virus is highly contagious and causes a range of symptoms including fever, vomiting, diarrhea, generalized pain or malaise and in many cases internal and external bleeding. Mortality rates of Ebola fever are extremely high, with the human case-fatality rate ranging from 50 percent to 89 percent, depending on viral subtype.