Uganda’s health ministry has confirmed an Ebola outbreak in the capital, Kampala, after a male nurse became the first known fatality from the virus. The patient passed away on Wednesday, with laboratory tests later confirming infection with the Sudan strain of the Ebola virus, the ministry announced on Thursday.
This marks the ninth recorded Ebola outbreak in Uganda since the virus was first detected in the country in 2000. The nurse, who worked at Mulago National Referral Hospital, had initially sought treatment at multiple facilities, including Mulago and a traditional healer, after developing fever-like symptoms.
“The patient experienced multi-organ failure and succumbed to the illness at Mulago National Referral Hospital on Jan. 29. Post-mortem samples confirmed the Sudan Ebola Virus Disease (strain),” the health ministry stated.
Authorities have identified 44 individuals who came into contact with the deceased, including 30 healthcare workers, and have begun tracing efforts. However, tracking potential cases presents a significant challenge, given Kampala’s population of over four million people and its status as a transit hub for travel to South Sudan, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Rwanda, and beyond.
Ebola is a highly contagious hemorrhagic fever transmitted through direct contact with infected bodily fluids and tissues. Symptoms include severe headaches, vomiting blood, muscle pain, and uncontrolled bleeding.
Uganda’s experience in managing past Ebola outbreaks has enabled health authorities to act swiftly, using established protocols for laboratory testing, patient care, and contact tracing.
The World Health Organization (WHO) has allocated $1 million from its emergency contingency fund to support Uganda’s response and is working with vaccine developers to send candidate vaccines for potential use.
The country’s last Ebola outbreak, which occurred in late 2022, resulted in 143 infections and 55 deaths before it was officially declared over on January 11, 2023.
The health ministry confirmed that vaccination efforts for all identified contacts of the deceased will begin immediately. Currently, no approved vaccine exists for the Sudan strain of Ebola, though Uganda received trial doses during the previous outbreak.
Meanwhile, a Marburg virus outbreak, a disease closely related to Ebola, was recently declared in neighboring Tanzania. Uganda also shares borders with Rwanda, which recently emerged from a Marburg outbreak, and the Democratic Republic of Congo, where Ebola outbreaks frequently occur.
