An employee locks an ultra-low temperature freezer containing Ebola trial vaccines at National Medical Stores in Entebbe, Uganda, Dec. 8, 2022. (Photo by Hajarah Nalwadda/Xinhua)
Uganda has ended a 42-day countdown to be declared Ebola-free with no case reported in the period, the country's Minister of Health said Tuesday.
KAMPALA, Jan. 11 (Xinhua) -- Uganda on Tuesday ended a 42-day count down to be declared Ebola-free with no case reported in the period, the country's Minister of Health said.
Ruth Aceng, in a tweet, hailed the public for its vigilance in helping end the Ebola Sudan Virus outbreak, which was first reported in the country on September 20, 2022.
"Today, January 10, 2023, marks 42 days since we began the countdown to Ebola-free Uganda," Aceng said.
A man disinfects facilities at an isolation center in Mubende district, Uganda, Nov. 1, 2022. (Photo by Hajarah Nalwadda/Xinhua)
The World Health Organization says for a country to be declared Ebola-free, it should spend 42 days (two 21-day incubation cycles of the virus) without any new cases reported.
According to the Ministry of Health, an official event to declare the country Ebola-free has been scheduled for Wednesday in the Central Region district of Mubende, which was the epicenter of the outbreak.
Ministry of Health figures issued as of Nov. 30 show that the country had registered 142 confirmed cases, 56 deaths, and 86 recoveries. ■
