Uganda begins 42-day countdown to Ebola-free status after discharging last patient

Uganda has started a 42-day countdown towards being declared Ebola-free after discharging its final patient from an isolation unit. 
According to a Reuters report, the patient’s release from Mulago National Referral Hospital in Kampala on Thursday morning, July 16, triggered the mandatory waiting period required by the World Health Organisation (WHO) before an outbreak can be officially declared over. 
Under WHO guidelines, a country may only be declared free of an Ebola outbreak if no new confirmed cases are recorded within 42 consecutive days following the recovery or d£ath of the last patient. 
Uganda’s Ministry of Health reported 20 confirmed Ebola cases during the outbreak, comprising five locally acquired infections and 15 imported cases. The ministry’s online dashboard further indicates that 17 patients recovered, while two people di£d. 
Speaking on the progress, Ugandan government spokesperson Alan Kasujja confirmed that the discharge of the final patient initiated the WHO-mandated countdown. 
“When that happens, Uganda starts counting down. If 42 days pass without a single new case, WHO guidelines stipulate that we will be declared Ebola-free,” Mr Kasujja explained. 
Meanwhile, the outbreak continues to spread in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), where the WHO declared a Public Health Emergency of International Concern in May. According to Reuters, data released by the Congolese government on Wednesday showed the country has recorded 2,011 confirmed Ebola cases and 754 confirmed de@ths.