WHO Defends Uganda’s Early End to Ebola Outbreak

The World Health Organisation (WHO) has defended Uganda’s decision to declare the end of the Ebola outbreak in Bundibugyo before completing the conventional 42-day waiting period. It said that the country remained focused on the primary objective of halting transmission and protecting public health.

The move sparked debate, with some observers questioning why the country did not wait the standard 42 days after the last confirmed case before making the declaration. WHO Regional Director for Africa Dr Mohamed Yakub Janabi said Uganda’s response should be judged by its success in containing the outbreak, which recorded just 20 confirmed cases, mostly imported from the Democratic Republic of Congo (DR Congo). It recorded a case fatality rate of about 10%, compared with 44% in the DR Congo.

Uganda has since deployed health workers to support the response in eastern DR Congo. WHO and Africa CDC praised the country’s handling of the outbreak as a regional model. Africa CDC also criticised the United States for maintaining travel restrictions on Uganda despite its successful containment of the virus.