Geneva, July 30 (SANA) Uganda remains at risk of Ebola infections spreading from neighboring Democratic Republic of the Congo despite declaring an end to local transmission, the World Health Organization (WHO) said on Wednesday.
The WHO said it will continue monitoring the situation for 42 days from July 16, when the last imported Ebola patient from the Democratic Republic of the Congo was discharged from treatment, as an additional precaution to ensure no transmission chains have gone undetected.
Although Uganda has declared its 2026 Ebola outbreak over, the WHO stressed that the announcement does not mean the threat has disappeared. Instead, it reflects the absence of sustained local transmission, based on assessments by Uganda’s Ministry of Health.
“The most important priority is for Uganda to maintain a high level of surveillance and preparedness given the ongoing outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and the continued risk of cross-border transmission,” the organization said, according to Agence France-Presse (AFP).
The WHO said the patient discharged on July 16 had been classified by Ugandan authorities as an imported case from the Democratic Republic of the Congo, with no subsequent local transmission detected. It praised the Ugandan government, healthcare workers and local communities for implementing strict measures to contain the outbreak.
The Democratic Republic of the Congo has recorded 3,360 confirmed Ebola cases, including 1,487 deaths, with the outbreak largely concentrated in Ituri province in the country’s northeast, the WHO said.
Uganda has reported 20 confirmed cases, including two deaths, while 18 patients have recovered, according to the organization.
N.J/ABD
