Kampala, Uganda- The World Health Organization (WHO), and the country’s Health Ministry on Tuesday declared an outbreak of Ebola.
According to WHO, the Ebola outbreak was declared after testing a sample from a now deceased 24-year-old man from the country’s Mubende district whom the health officials said had been infected with the rare Ebola Sudan strain.
In addition, the Health Ministry said health authorities investigated six suspicious deaths in the district this month including the 24-year-olds.
“This is the first time in more than a decade that Uganda is recording the Ebola Sudan strain. We are working closely with the national health authorities to investigate the source of this outbreak. There are currently eight suspected cases who are receiving care in a health facility.
(However), Uganda is no stranger to effective Ebola control. Thanks to its expertise, action has been taken to quickly detect the virus and we can bank on this knowledge to halt the spread of infections,” said Dr. Matshidiso Moeti, WHO’s Regional Director for Africa.
In addition, Diana Atwine, the Health Ministry’s permanent secretary also confirmed the Ebola outbreak.
“We want to inform the country that we have an outbreak of Ebola which we confirmed yesterday,” said Atwine.
In addition, Atwine said the 24-year-old man with the confirmed case had a high fever, diarrhea and abdominal pains as well as vomiting blood and had initially been treated for malaria.
Uganda last reported an outbreak of the Sudan Ebola strain in 2012, and then, at least 17 people were killed from the 24 cases identified in that outbreak.
According to WHO, Uganda has experienced four Ebola outbreaks, with the most deadly witnessed in 2000 which left over 200 people dead.
Uganda also shares a porous border with the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), which recorded a new Ebola case last month less than six weeks after an epidemic in its northwest was declared over.
Nevertheless, WHO said ring vaccination of high-risk people with the Ervebo vaccine had been highly effective in controlling the spread of Ebola in recent outbreaks in the DRC and elsewhere but cited that this vaccine had only been approved to protect against the Zaire strain.
In addition, WHO said another vaccine produced by Johnson & Johnson may be effective but has yet to be specifically tested against the Ebola Sudan strain.
Ebola which is easily spread on surfaces is an often deadly viral hemorrhagic fever. It spreads by contact with bodily fluids of an infected person or contaminated materials. Symptoms of the disease include fever, vomiting, diarrhea, muscle pain and sometimes internal and external bleeding.
