At Well-Before-Christmas -- The Ugandan (Elected) President Has "Jumped" Long-Approved WHO Guidelines, For Declaring Ebola Outbreak... Arrested.

I would expect U Minn's CIDRAP -- as well as WHO's Ebola Situation Reporting may have more on this tomorrow -- once back at work on Monday.

And, as ever, I will hope for the very best here -- that no new cases emerge, between now and the latest 42 day clock running out. By my hand count, the earliest real science might declare an all clear would be December 26, 2022.

[Candidly, I worry a bit that Uganda's health minister has been ordered not to disclose any new patient cases.] In any event, the government there has (as of yesterday local time) now lifted all travel and gathering restrictions in all districts previously under lock-down orders. This in turn means there will be lots of holiday travel and festivities in restaurants, and bars.

As I say, I will hope for the best -- but this seems mostly a political calculation (by an official facing elections) -- not a purely-science based one. Here's Reuters on it:

. . .Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni lifted all Ebola-related movement restrictions on Saturday, saying the East African country had made progress in curbing the deadly disease.

[Ed. nota bene -- "progress" is a standard well-short of the actual scientific evidence-derived marker.]

Museveni rescinded restrictions on the disease's epicentre in the district of Mubende, which logged 66 cases and 29 deaths, and in the Kassanda region with 49 cases and 21 deaths.

"Currently, there is no transmission, no contact under follow-up, no patients in the isolation facilities, and we are progressing well with the count down," Museveni said in a statement. . . .

Let us hope that epidemic biology doesn't do what it is well-known to do: mutate -- evolve and rise again. Let us hope, here at near Christmas. Dammit.

नमस्ते