Infections had emerged in the major cities of Kampala and Jinja, fueling fears the disease could stretch well into 2023. In 2019, Uganda experienced an outbreak of the Zaire tribe of Ebola.
The head of the UN health agency, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, congratulated the authorities on their “robust” response to the outbreak, less than four months after the first case of Sudan’s Ebola virus was confirmed in the central Mubende district.
“Uganda has shown that Ebola can be defeated if the whole system works together. from setting up an alert system, to locating and caring for affected people and their contacts, to fully involving affected communities in the response,” Tedros said.
Unwelcome Visitor
In total, 55 people died in the latest outbreak and 87 recovered, according to the sources WHOits regional director for Africa, Dr. Matshidiso Moeti, noted this There are still no vaccines to treat the Sudan strain.
“This was one of the most challenging Ebola outbreaks in five years,” said Dr. Moeti. “But Uganda stayed the course and continuously adjusted its response.
“Two months ago it looked like Ebola would cast a dark shadow over the country well into 2023…this victory starts the year with great hope for Africa.”
The “magic bullet”: community engagement
The virus is transmitted to humans from wild animals and can spread through direct contact with the blood or other bodily fluids of infected individuals. Symptoms of Ebola – formerly known as Ebola hemorrhagic fever – include fever and vomiting, accompanied by internal and external bleeding.
To halt further transmission of the virus – in what was the country’s first encounter with Sudan Ebola virus in a decade – WHO worked with national health teams to assess the threat to vulnerable populations and the need to restrict movement in infection zones. Hotspots of Mubende and Kasanda to explain.
“While we have expanded our efforts to achieve a strong response in the nine affected districts, The silver bullet has been our communities, which have understood the importance of doing what is necessary to end the outbreak and have taken action,” said Dr. Jane Ruth Aceng Acero, Minister of Health of Uganda.
The WHO also helped trace more than 4,000 people who came into contact with people infected with the Ebola virus. Once identified, these contacts were monitored for 21 days before the all-clear was given.
The last patient was discharged from treatment on November 30, when the 42-day countdown to the end of the outbreak began, according to the WHO, which noted the death rate in that outbreak was 47 percent.
Uganda declares Ebola outbreak over.
Share the burden
The UN health agency provided nearly S$6.5 million for the initial response and an additional $3 million to support preparedness in six neighboring countries.
Practical support from WHO has included deploying experts, providing training in contact tracing, testing and patient care, as well as building isolation and treatment centers and providing laboratory testing kits.
Thanks to this joint effort “the processing time for Ebola samples fell from a few days to six hoursWHO said, adding that it had helped protect frontline health workers by providing a constant supply of personal protective equipment.
Prepared for the next outbreak
WHO also included working with partners, including vaccine developers, researchers, donors and Uganda’s public health authorities, to identify potential therapeutics and vaccines for inclusion in trials.
Three trial vaccines were identified and over 5,000 doses reached Uganda in record time last month79 days after the outbreak was declared.
Although no vaccines were deployed this time, the UN agency insisted that the rapid response to the health threat “marks a milestone in the global ability to respond to rapidly evolving outbreaks and prevent them from growing”.
Sudan Ebola virus is one of six strains of the disease for which there are no approved therapeutics or vaccines. To counteract this handicap, the WHO stated that Uganda has been able to leverage its long experience in responding to epidemics and “Quickly strengthen critical areas of response“.
