Uganda discharges last Ebola patient as DR Congo outbreak spreads

The last patient being treated for Ebola in Uganda has been discharged, leaving the country with no active confirmed cases, according to Uganda's Health Minister Dr Chris Baryomunsi (BBC, https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cx2myxjv172o). A 42-day countdown has now begun before Uganda can be officially declared Ebola-free, provided no new infections emerge; Baryomunsi described the discharge as "a moment of joy" after Uganda recorded 20 confirmed cases and two deaths in the outbreak first detected in May (BBC, https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cx2myxjv172o). The outbreak's epicentre is neighbouring DR Congo, where more than 2,000 confirmed infections and 796 deaths have been recorded, according to government data, and where the virus is spreading at an alarming speed, World Health Organization chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus warned (BBC, https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cx2myxjv172o). Tedros said the DR Congo outbreak is now the world's third-largest on record, with 80% of new cases there from previously unknown transmission chains, and that about two-thirds of deaths are occurring in communities among people who never reach a health facility (BBC, https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cx2myxjv172o). There are no vaccines or approved treatments for this rare Bundibugyo species of Ebola, and the WHO has appealed for $115m (£85m) to fight the outbreak, of which it says only $45m has been received so far; the United States has meanwhile extended travel restrictions requiring its citizens returning from DR Congo to spend 21 days in a third country first (BBC, https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cx2myxjv172o). *Source Reporters corrects errors promptly. Report corrections to corrections@sourcereporters.com.*