Uganda declares the end of its Ebola epidemic

A teacher looks out the window of an empty classroom at God's Will Primary School in Kampala, closed after the death of a child, on October 27. Hajarah Nalwadda (AP)

The Government of Uganda and the World Health Organization (WHO) have declared this Wednesday the end of the Ebola epidemic that has hit this African country since last September 20 and has caused 55 deaths and 142 cases.

"We have successfully controlled the epidemic," said Jane Ruth Aceng, Ugandan Minister of Health, during an event held in the Mubende district, the epicenter of the outbreak.

The last patient with the virus was discharged on November 30 and in the last 42 days there has been no new infection.

This Ebola epidemic has been a real challenge for the health authorities, since it was the Sudanese strain of the virus for which there are no approved vaccines.

As of December, up to three experimental immunizations have been tested in Uganda, developed by the British University of Oxford and the Jenner Institute, the American Sabin Vaccine Institute and the International AIDS Vaccine Initiative.

The WHO announced this Wednesday that up to 5,000 doses of these vaccines have been distributed.

"Uganda has put an end to this Ebola epidemic by reinforcing key measures such as surveillance, contact tracing, prevention and control," added Aceng.

For his part, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director General of the WHO, congratulated the Ugandan authorities for "their robust and comprehensive response that has led to this victory against Ebola today," he said in a statement.

"Uganda has shown that Ebola can be defeated if the entire system works in a coordinated way," he added.

Likewise, the director of this organization for Africa, Dr. Matshidiso Moeti, has emphasized the complexity of the outbreak.

“In the absence of vaccines and treatments, this was one of the most difficult Ebola epidemics in the last five years, but Uganda has stood firm and constantly updated its response,” she said.

The outbreak was declared on September 20 after a 24-year-old man tested positive and died with symptoms consistent with Ebola in Mubende district, about 150 kilometers west of the country's capital Kampala.

Previously, six other people, including three children, had died from hemorrhagic fevers that were not identified.

In the weeks that followed, the outbreak spread to virtually the entire country and entered Kampala, raising the alert to the highest level.

Uganda has seen seven Ebola epidemics, five of which were of the Sudanese strain.

Closure of schools in the country

Given the arrival of the virus in the capital and given the infections among children in five schools, the Government decided to close the classrooms on November 25, thus bringing forward the Christmas holidays in the education sector by two weeks.

Similarly, the districts of Mubende and Kasanda remained in lockdown for almost three months, measures that proved effective.

"Two months ago, when the outbreak had reached cities like Kampala and Jinja, we might have feared that Ebola was going to cast a dark shadow over the country until 2023, but this victory makes us start the year with great hope for Africa," he said. noted Dr. Moeti.

Despite the official end of the outbreak, the health authorities continue with the vaccine trials and active surveillance, carrying out tests at the appearance of the first symptoms, which are sometimes confused with other diseases.

Neighboring countries, such as the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Kenya, South Sudan, Rwanda and Tanzania, are also on alert at their borders.

Since the terrible Ebola epidemic in West Africa in 2014-2016, scientists have learned a lot about the resistance of the virus to remain in the fluids of already cured patients and, therefore, the risk of outbreaks even several years later.

Ebola is a hemorrhagic fever of viral origin with a high lethality if the patient does not receive prompt treatment.

The development of vaccines for the Zaire strain in the last decade and the improvement of detection and control systems have allowed notable advances in the management of the disease, but it continues to be a serious threat, especially in central Africa.

Various scientific studies have linked the loss of forest mass with the emergence of epidemics in recent years, since the virus is present in nature and jumps to humans from an animal.

The primary reservoir is believed to be various species of fruit-eating bats.