Uganda discharges Ebola patients

Uganda has discharged eight patients who have recovered from the Sudan strain of Ebola after they tested negative twice, health officials have said.

The disease has killed one person and infected eight others since an outbreak was reported last month, but 265 people, who were listed for monitoring, remain in quarantine.

This is the eighth Ebola outbreak in Uganda since the first infection was recorded in 2000.

The Sudan Ebola Virus Disease (SUDV) is a highly infectious haemorrhagic fever which is transmitted through contact with infected bodily fluids and tissues. It is one of several strains of the Ebola virus known to cause outbreaks.

Unlike the more common Zaire Ebola virus, there is no approved vaccine for the Sudan strain.

However, the government launched a trial vaccine earlier this month.

Only a 32-year-old male nurse is known to have died in the latest outbreak.

Uganda's Health Minister Jane Ruth Aceng Ocero confirmed the discharge of the eight patients, and said they should not be stigmatised.

"I urge their families and communities to receive and interact with them normally," the minister added.

The World Health Organization (WHO) said their recovery was "an important milestone" in efforts to contain the outbreak.

The Sudan strain is severe, normally killing at least 40% of those infected, but the fatality rate this time is low, WHO said.

• Ebola: How a killer disease was stopped in its tracks
• Watch: Guinean orphans share their stories of Ebola outbreak
• Uganda's other fight against Ebola
• Ebola basics: What you need to know

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