Uganda declared its Ebola outbreak over on July 28 after 42 days without a locally transmitted case [1]. The last confirmed patient was discharged June 16. The outbreak was associated with Sudan ebolavirus.

The declaration is jurisdictionally separate from the Democratic Republic of Congo's ongoing ledger — 3,360 confirmed cases and 1,487 deaths as of the ECDC's week-31 snapshot [2]. Uganda's end-of-outbreak closes one rail of the three-rail Ebola package the paper has tracked since July 30. The DRC's ledger, the Hilleman Phase 1 dose start, and Uganda's declaration are three distinct records in three distinct jurisdictions.

An end-of-outbreak declaration is not a global all-clear. Uganda's declaration means the country has met the WHO's criteria: 42 days (two incubation periods) without a locally transmitted case. It does not mean the regional risk is zero, the DRC outbreak is resolved, or the filovirus field has a licensed vaccine ready for deployment [1].

The Sudan ebolavirus strain complicates the picture. Unlike the Zaire ebolavirus — which has approved vaccines — Sudan ebolavirus has no licensed vaccine and a more limited treatment landscape [2]. Uganda's declaration closes the outbreak record but does not close the vulnerability record.

The paper's July 30 predecessor carried the DRC field-team profile as workload evidence, not incidence [2]. Uganda's July 28 declaration remains separate and jurisdictional. The DRC's ECDC week-31 snapshot succeeds, never revises, and stays distinct from Uganda's count.

What the paper does not yet know: Uganda's confirmed case and death totals for the outbreak, the surveillance window going forward, regional risk statements, and whether re-importation risk from the DRC is addressed in the declaration's terms.

Uganda's declaration is a ledger entry, not a conclusion. The outbreak record closes. The vulnerability record remains open.

-- KENJI NAKAMURA, Tokyo