By : Lloyd Mahachi
Uganda’s ministry of health has confirmed that a new outbreak of the Ebola virus hits the city of Kampala, with one reported fatality.
The reported victim was a 32-year-old male nurse whose symptoms consisted of “high fever, chest pain, and difficulty in breathing” and “bleeding from multiple body sites”.
He lost his life due to multi-organ failure on Wednesday at Mulango National Hospital, located in the capital city’s central business district.
This marks Uganda’s eighth recorded Ebola outbreak since the first infection was documented in the year 2000.
The Sudan Ebola Virus Disease is a highly infectious haemorrhagic fever which is easily transmitted from one another through contact with infected bodily fluids and tissues. It is one of several strains of the Ebola virus known to cause outbreaks.
In the days before his death, the nurse went to multiple health facilities as well as a traditional healer, before the diagnosis was confirmed.
He also went to a public hospital in Mbale, a city which borders Kenya, which evidences a high chance of transmissions within the country.
The health ministry said 44 contacts of the deceased man, including 30 healthcare workers, have been identified for tracing.
Rapid response teams have been deployed to try to contain the disease all over the country.
But contact tracing may be difficult since Kampala, a bustling city of over four million people, serves as a major hub for travel to South Sudan, Democratic Republic of Congo, Rwanda, and other neighbouring states.
Uganda’s last Ebola outbreak was in September 2022, which was also caused by SUDV. Centred in Mubende district, it was declared over after four months.
There are six known variants of the Ebola virus. Four of them, Zaire, Bundibugyo, Sudan, and Taï Forest, are known to cause disease in humans.
Unlike the more common Zaire Ebola virus, there is no approved vaccine for the Sudan variant.
The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that, on average, Ebola kills five in every 10 infected individuals.
Editor : Josephine Mahachi