WHO Defends Uganda’s Early End to Ebola Outbreak

The World Health Organization (WHO) has defended Uganda’s decision to declare the end of its Bundibugyo Ebola outbreak before completing the conventional 42-day waiting period.

The decision sparked debate over why Uganda did not wait for the standard period after the last confirmed case before declaring the outbreak over. WHO Regional Director for Africa, Dr Mohamed Yakub Janabi, said Uganda’s response should be assessed based on its success in stopping transmission and protecting public health.

Uganda recorded 20 confirmed cases, most of which were imported from the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). The outbreak had a case fatality rate of about 10%, compared with 44% in the DRC.

WHO and the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) praised Uganda’s handling of the outbreak, describing the response as a potential model for the region.

Uganda has also deployed health workers to support Ebola response efforts in eastern DRC, where the virus has caused a larger outbreak. Africa CDC also criticised the United States for maintaining travel restrictions on Uganda despite the country’s reported containment of the virus.

The available information does not specify the exact number of days Uganda waited after the last confirmed case before making its declaration.

SOURCE: The Independent (Kampala)