Uganda has declared an end to the Ebola Sudan Virus Disease (SVD) outbreak after completing a 42-day mandatory countdown without any new confirmed cases reported. The declaration came in less than three months after the virus was detected in the capital, Kampala. Ugandan Minister of Health Ruth Aceng yesterday made the announcement in the eastern city of Mbale, one of the areas affected by Ebola.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) guidelines require that for a country to be declared Ebola-free, it must spend 42 days (two 21-day incubation cycles of the virus) without any new cases reported.

Uganda declared the SVD outbreak on 30th January this year after a 32-year-old nurse died of the disease in Kampala. The WHO said that although the outbreak in Uganda is over, the Ministry of Health, with continued support from the global health body and partners, will continue investing in surveillance, survivor care and preparedness to ensure Uganda remains safe.

There are no approved treatments or vaccines for the Sudan strain of Ebola, as vaccines are still under clinical trial.