Uganda is set to discharge its last Ebola patient on Thursday, marking the start of a 42-day countdown before the country can be declared free of the virus, a government spokesperson said.
Under World Health Organization (WHO) guidelines, a country can be declared Ebola-free if no new cases are reported for 42 consecutive days after the last patient tests negative and is discharged.
Uganda nears the end of the outbreak
Uganda’s Health Ministry said 17 patients had recovered, with one remaining in isolation and two deaths recorded. It said five cases were locally acquired and 15 were imported.
Government spokesperson Alan Kasujja said the final patient would be discharged from Mulago National Referral Hospital in the capital, Kampala, on Thursday.
