The World Health Organization has declared Uganda free of Ebola after the country passed the required 42-day period without a new case, closing an outbreak that infected 20 people and killed two. Officials credited swift contact tracing and containment.
The 42-day window, twice the maximum incubation period, is the standard used to confirm transmission has ended. Uganda drew on experience from earlier outbreaks to isolate cases before the disease could spread widely.
The declaration contrasts sharply with neighbouring Democratic Republic of Congo, where a separate outbreak has grown beyond 5,600 recorded cases, underscoring how preparedness shapes the course of such emergencies.
Public-health experts urged continued vigilance, noting the virus can persist in survivors and reappear, and Uganda said it would keep monitoring in place.
The containment offers a case study followed closely by health authorities across Asia and the Pacific, where cross-border disease threats remain a shared concern.
