STORY: Uganda optimistic in Ebola fight as all patients dischargedSHOOTING TIME: Feb. 18, 2025DATELINE: Feb. 20, 2025LENGTH: 00:02:12LOCATION: KampalaCATEGORY: HEALTHSHOTLIST:1. various of the discharge ceremony2. SOUNDBITE 1 (English): JANE RUTH ACENG, Uganda Health Minister3. various of the discharge ceremony4. various of the discharge ceremony5. SOUNDBITE 2 (English): KASONDE MWINGA, WHO representative in Uganda6. various of the discharge ceremonySTORYLINE:After the discharge of all patients with Ebola, health workers in Uganda are optimistic that the country may be seeing the tail end of the current outbreak.Ugandan Minister of Health Jane Ruth Aceng and World Health Organization (WHO) representative Kasonde Mwinga presided over a discharge ceremony on Tuesday in the East African nation's capital of Kampala.SOUNDBITE 1 (English): JANE RUTH ACENG, Uganda Health Minister"As of Feb. 18, 2025, 9 cases have been confirmed, including the deceased index case. The remaining 8 cases have all done well and are due for discharge today. Seven of them received treatment at the Mulago National Referral Hospital isolation facility and one received treatment from the Mbale Regional Referral Hospital isolation facility. Furthermore, 265 contacts are under strict quarantine and monitoring at Kampala, Jinja and Mbale quarantine facilities."The WHO described the discharge as an important milestone in the collective efforts to curb the spread of the disease and end the outbreak.SOUNDBITE 2 (English): KASONDE MWINGA, WHO representative in Uganda"As partners, as communities, the general public, and health workers, we must continue to work with the national authorities to ensure that our response remains effective to save lives and completely halt this outbreak. The next 42 days are critical in ensuring no new case arises. And if no new infection occurred during this period, this outbreak would be declared over."The WHO urged the public against stigmatizing Ebola survivors, stressing that they are "safe, no longer contagious and pose no health risk to others."The last time that Uganda had an Ebola outbreak was from September 2022 to January 2023, when 164 people were infected and 77 succumbed to the disease.Xinhua News Agency correspondents reporting from Kampala.(XHTV)