According to a World Health Organization statement Thursday, the last person in Uganda infected by the deadly virus was discharged from a hospital on Jan. 8. No incident of the disease occurred after that date or after 42 days, which is twice the maximum Ebola incubation period of 21 days.
The last infected person is from Bundibugyo district, which shares a border with the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
Meanwhile, U.S. experts have confirmed that the virus in this outbreak is different from the three known African Ebola strains and should be considered as a new species.
The outbreak started last year infecting 149 people, of which at least 37 died from the disease.
The Ebola virus is transmitted by direct contact with the blood, secretions, other bodily fluids or organs of infected persons or animals such as chimpanzees, gorillas, monkeys and antelopes.
Symptoms are fever, intense weakness, muscle pain, headaches and a sore throat, vomiting, diarrhea, rashes and impaired kidney and liver function. In the most severe cases, the virus can lead to both external and internal bleeding.
