Uganda is close to declaring victory over the Ebola virus after months of health concerns, as it prepares on Thursday for the discharge of the last patient from the isolation center at Mulago National Referral Hospital in the capital Kampala, a step that officially starts the 42-day countdown required by the World Health Organization before declaring the outbreak over.

Ugandan government spokesman Allan Kasuja confirmed that the discharge of the last case will activate the internationally adopted timeline, explaining that the country will be on the verge of declaring itself Ebola-free if no new infections are recorded in the next six weeks.

According to data from the Ugandan Ministry of Health, the number of recoveries has risen to 17, with only one patient remaining in isolation before leaving today, while the country recorded two deaths and five local infections compared to 15 imported cases from outside the country. All cases are linked to the rare Bundibugyo strain, which the World Health Organization described as the third largest recorded outbreak of this strain.

But as Uganda nears closing the chapter on the outbreak, the Democratic Republic of Congo continues to face a more complex health situation, with the WHO declaring a public health emergency there in May. The latest government data indicates 2,011 confirmed cases and 754 deaths as of Wednesday, making the outbreak in Congo one of the most severe Ebola waves in recent years.

While Uganda prepares for the post-Ebola phase, the international community is closely monitoring developments in Congo, amid intensive efforts to contain the virus and prevent its cross-border spread.