Uganda has discharged eight people who recovered from Ebola, though at least 265 contacts remain under strict quarantine, Health Minister Jane Ruth Aceng announced on Tuesday.
The East African country declared an Ebola outbreak late last month after a male nurse at Mulago National Referral Hospital in Kampala died from the disease.
While none of the 265 quarantined contacts—spread across Kampala, Jinja, and Mbale—have shown symptoms, they will remain under 21-day monitoring to prevent further spread, Aceng stated.
The outbreak was caused by the Sudan strain of Ebola, for which no approved vaccine currently exists. However, a trial programme is underway. Existing vaccines only target the Zaire strain, which has triggered recent outbreaks in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Ebola symptoms include fever, headache, and muscle pain, with transmission occurring through contact with infected bodily fluids and tissue.
