We are very happy to inform you that Uganda health officials have declared the end to the recent Ebola outbreak. The announcement was made Wednesday 11 January 2023 by Dr. Jane Ruth Aceng, Uganda’s health minister.
The announcement follows a 42-day period without any new cases. This time is twice the maximum incubation period of the virus, a World Health Organization benchmark for a country to be declared Ebola-free.
“Uganda put a swift end to the Ebola outbreak by ramping up key control measures such as surveillance, contact tracing and infection, prevention and control,” said Dr. Aceng at a news briefing in Mubende, the district where the outbreak was first reported. “The magic bullet has been our communities who understood the importance of doing what was needed to end the outbreak, and took action.”
Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the WHO head, has congratulated Uganda for its “robust and comprehensive response” to the outbreak, ending it less than four months. He says lessons learned and the systems put in place for this outbreak will protect Ugandans and others in the years ahead.
Uganda is a major tourist destination and the announcement comes as a relief to travelers and the tourism sector. The year 2022 saw a growing recovery in the tourism sector as more people traveled to Uganda. This has continued with a number of tour operators reporting more bookings for 2023 – good news and a great hope to the over 500,000 directly employed in the tourism and hospitality industry.
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