- Uganda Discharges Eight Ebola Survivors Amid Ongoing Outbreak
- One death, eight infections reported in current outbreak
- 265 people remain in quarantine for monitoring
Uganda has discharged eight patients who have fully recovered from the Sudan strain of Ebola after they tested negative twice for the virus, according to health officials.
The latest outbreak of the disease, which was reported last month, has claimed one life and infected eight others. However, 265 individuals who were identified for monitoring remain in quarantine.
This marks the eighth Ebola outbreak in Uganda since the first recorded case in 2000.
The Sudan Ebola Virus Disease (SUDV) is a highly infectious hemorrhagic fever transmitted through contact with infected bodily fluids and tissues. Unlike the more widely known Zaire Ebola virus, no approved vaccine exists for the Sudan strain. In response, the government launched a trial vaccine earlier this month.
Health Minister Jane Ruth Aceng Ocero confirmed the discharge of the eight patients and urged the public not to stigmatize them. “I urge their families and communities to receive and interact with them normally,” she said.
The World Health Organization (WHO) has hailed the recovery of the eight patients as “an important milestone” in efforts to contain the outbreak. Despite the severity of the Sudan strain, which typically kills at least 40% of those infected, the fatality rate in this outbreak has been low, according to WHO.
The only fatality from the outbreak has been a 32-year-old male nurse.
Health officials continue to monitor the situation closely as efforts to prevent further spread of the disease remain a priority.
