The number of confirmed Ebola cases in Uganda has risen to nine, with one confirmed death, the country’s Ministry of Health has said.
In a statement late on Monday, the Health Ministry said that of the other new cases, seven were being treated in a hospital in the capital, Kampala, and one was in a hospital in the eastern city of Mbale, near the Kenyan border.
All eight patients are in a stable condition, and 265 contacts of the confirmed cases have been placed under quarantine, the ministry added.
Uganda declared an outbreak of the severe, often fatal viral infection late last month.
The latest outbreak is being driven by the Sudan strain of the virus, for which there is no approved vaccine.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), Ebola symptoms appear between two and 21 days after infection, and can include fever, severe headache, muscle pain, fatigue, abdominal pain, diarrhoea, vomiting, and bleeding from the nose, gums, ears and eyes. As it is highly infectious, patients have to be isolated and treated.
Uganda launched a trial vaccination programme against the Sudan strain, the WHO said earlier this month.
“This vaccine is based on the same platform that was used to develop the very effective vaccine for Ebola Zaire, so I believe there’s a real chance that this vaccine will be very effective,” Mike Ryan, emergencies director for the WHO, told the AFP news agency.
He noted that there are about 2,400 vaccines in Uganda and added the vaccine is designed for outbreak situations.
The current outbreak in Uganda, however, has come with new challenges.
Key among them appears to be a lack of clear communication from government authorities about the outbreak; and pushback from businesses, especially in the tourism sector. They argue that the way the outbreak was announced hurts the industry. Hesitancy among some people exposed to the virus to accept the new vaccine has also been a factor.
