Uganda has discharged eight people after they recovered from Ebola, according to Health Minister Jane Ruth Aceng. The East African country declared an outbreak of the highly infectious disease late last month following a man’s death at Mulago National Referral Hospital in Kampala. Eight other patients received treatment and have made a full recovery, according to the minister.
A total of 265 contacts are still under quarantine in Kampala, Jinja, and Mbale, but none have shown symptoms yet. They will remain under strict monitoring for 21 days from their initial contact with the virus. The current outbreak was caused by the Sudan strain of Ebola, which has no available vaccine despite a trial programme underway.
The Health Minister also noted that existing vaccines are only effective against the Zaire strain of Ebola, which has triggered recent outbreaks in Democratic Republic of Congo. Ebola symptoms include fever, headache, and muscle pains, and are transmitted through contact with infected bodily fluids and tissue.
Source: https://www.reuters.com/business/healthcare-pharmaceuticals/uganda-discharges-all-eight-ebola-patients-health-minister-says-2025-02-19