October 4, 2012(Deutsche Presse-Agentur (dpa)) -- Kampala (dpa) - Uganda's Health Ministry on Thursday declared that an ebola outbreak was officially over, 42 days after the last patient who fell ill with the disease was discharged from medical care.
Ebola, a potentially lethal virus, broke out in a village in the district of Kibaale in late July. Seventeen people have died since the start of the outbreak.
"Today, Uganda is being declared ebola-free. Uganda has successfully completed the 42 days of post-surveillance countdown. All the wards that were set up to handle ebola patients will be closed," ministry spokeswoman Rukia Nakamatte told dpa.
The outbreak caused panic in the country. The disease spread to the capital, Kampala, where some patients and a health worker were admitted to the country's main hospital.
The ebola virus is fast-spreading. The illness causes severe fevers and internal bleeding, killing between 25 and 90 per cent of those who become infected.
Copyright 2012 dpa Deutsche Presse-Agentur GmbH
