Health authorities in Uganda have reported that the number of Ebola cases has increased to nine, with 265 individuals currently under quarantine as a precautionary measure. The outbreak was officially declared on Jan. 30 following the death of a male nurse, who remains the sole fatality thus far.
According to a statement from the Health Ministry, eight patients are currently receiving medical care and are in stable condition. Seven of them are being treated at the main public hospital in Kampala, while one patient is receiving treatment in the eastern district of Mbale. Authorities have assured the public that the situation is under control and that surveillance efforts have been intensified.
The deceased nurse initially sought treatment in Kampala before traveling to Mbale, where he was admitted to a public hospital. It was revealed that he had also consulted a traditional healer for treatment. Several of his relatives are among those currently undergoing treatment for Ebola.
Officials are working to determine the source of the outbreak in Kampala, a city with a population of approximately 4 million people. Contact tracing is considered crucial in containing the spread of the Ebola virus, which presents as a viral hemorrhagic fever.
While there are no approved vaccines for the Sudan strain of Ebola affecting individuals in Uganda, authorities have initiated a clinical study to evaluate the safety and efficacy of a trial vaccine as part of their response to the current outbreak. The last Ebola outbreak in Uganda, which began in September 2022, claimed the lives of at least 55 individuals before it was declared over after four months.
Ebola is transmitted through contact with bodily fluids of infected individuals or contaminated materials. Common symptoms include fever, vomiting, diarrhea, muscle pain, and in severe cases, internal and external bleeding. Scientists believe that the virus is initially transmitted to humans through contact with infected animals or consumption of their raw meat. Ebola was first identified in 1976 during simultaneous outbreaks in South Sudan and Congo, near the Ebola River, from which the disease derives its name.
