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Uganda has confirmed an Ebola outbreak in its capital Kampala after a 32-year-old man succumbed to the highly contagious virus, health ministry officials confirmed on Thursday.
According to Diana Atwine, the ministry’s permanent secretary, the patient succumbed to the illness on Wednesday at Mulago National Referral Hospital after experiencing multiple-organ failure. A post-mortem examination confirmed that he had been infected with the Sudan Ebola Virus Disease (SUDV), a strain behind previous outbreaks in the country.
Ugandan authorities have confirmed the Sudan strain in Kampala following a patient’s death.
Authorities are tracing at least 44 contacts, including 30 health workers, as they work to contain the spread. However, tracking all contacts may be challenging, as Kampala is a major travel hub, connecting Uganda to South Sudan, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and Rwanda.
Ebola is a hemorrhagic fever transmitted through contact with infected bodily fluids and tissues. Symptoms include fever, fatigue, muscle pain, headache, sore throat, vomiting, diarrhea, rash, and internal or external bleeding.
“Bleeding manifestations usually appear in later stages, after the above symptoms,” Atwine said.
On Friday, Russia’s human welfare watchdog, Rospotrebnadzor, stated that it is ready to assist Kampala.
“Rospotrebnadzor is in contact with its Ugandan colleagues and has sent proposals to assist in conducting an epidemiological investigation and anti-epidemic measures,” the statement said.
Earlier in 2024, Russia delivered a mobile laboratory to Kampala, enabling the rapid laboratory diagnosis of dangerous infectious diseases, the press service clarified.
The death marks Uganda’s first confirmed Ebola fatality since 2023. The country’s last major outbreak, also caused by the Sudan Ebola virus strain, occurred in September 2022. — rt.com
Bongani Ndlovu