Ugandan officials are investigating the source of the country’s latest Ebola outbreak following the death of a nurse, marking the first recorded fatality since the nation’s last outbreak ended in early 2023.
The 32-year-old male nurse, employed at Mulago Hospital in Kampala, developed a fever and sought treatment at multiple facilities before being diagnosed with Ebola. He passed away on Wednesday, with postmortem tests confirming the presence of the Sudan strain of the virus, according to Diana Atwine, Uganda’s permanent secretary of health.
Health authorities have identified at least 44 contacts, including 30 healthcare workers and patients at Mulago Hospital, as they work to contain the virus. Officials urge vigilance, emphasizing that there is no approved vaccine for the Sudan strain.
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Uganda’s last outbreak, detected in September 2022, resulted in at least 55 deaths before being declared over in January 2023. The confirmation of a new case adds to growing concerns over viral hemorrhagic fevers in East Africa, following Marburg virus outbreaks in Tanzania and Rwanda.
The World Health Organization has pledged an initial $1 million to support Uganda’s response, with Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus stating that a full-scale containment effort is underway.
Containing the outbreak in Kampala poses a challenge due to the city’s high population mobility. The deceased nurse had traveled to multiple locations, including a hospital outside the capital and another in eastern Uganda, where he was later admitted. He also reportedly sought treatment from a traditional healer.
In an interview with the Associated Press, Dr. Emmanuel Batiibwe, a physician involved in Uganda’s 2022 Ebola response, expressed confidence in the country’s ability to act swiftly, citing lessons learned from previous outbreaks.
Ebola, transmitted through direct contact with bodily fluids or contaminated materials, causes severe symptoms such as fever, vomiting, diarrhea, muscle pain, and, in some cases, internal and external bleeding. Scientists believe the virus originates from infected animals, though its natural reservoir remains unknown.
Uganda has faced multiple Ebola outbreaks, including a deadly 2000 epidemic. The largest recorded Ebola outbreak occurred in West Africa between 2014 and 2016, claiming more than 11,000 lives.
First identified in 1976 in simultaneous outbreaks in South Sudan and Congo, the virus was named after the Ebola River near one of the initial outbreak sites.
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