Kampala - The Ebola outbreak in northern Uganda is reaching the end of its course, with an average of one new death every two days and five new cases reported in the last ten days, a health official said Friday.
The death toll increased to 172 and the total number of identified cases rose to 429, since the outbreak was confirmed first on October 14, said Dr Alex Opio, assistant director for National Disease Control.
He said the death toll rose to 172 from 162 because there were three deaths that occurred outside the ten day period, but were not reported.
"We are getting good trends of the epidemic and the daily number of new cases has dramatically gone down," Opio said, "It is a very significant positive change in the trend of the epidemic."
Six of the seven deaths and the five new cases were recorded in Gulu, 360 kilometres north of Kampala where the outbreak was first confirmed.
One death occurred in Masindi district hospital, 160 kilometres north-west of Kampala, where the outbreak was confirmed to have spread on November 5, Opio said.
Experts from the United States Centres for Disease Control and Prevention, the World Health Organisation and Doctors Without Borders have been in Uganda to help contain the disease.
The fever caused by the Ebola virus is transmitted through body fluids. The disease can cause severe hemorrhagic fever and is often fatal.
There is no cure for Ebola, but patients aggressively treated with rehydration have a good chance of survival, and in Uganda, at least 200 people have recovered. - Sapa-AP