Uganda confirms an Ebola epidemic in Kampala, the country’s capital, with one fatality

According to the health ministry’s statement on Thursday, Uganda has confirmed an Ebola epidemic in the country’s capital, Kampala, with the first confirmed patient passing away on Wednesday.

This is the eighth epidemic in the East African nation since the virus was first discovered there in 2000.

After experiencing fever-like symptoms, the patient, a male nurse at the Mulago National Referral Hospital in Kampala, first sought care at Mulago and with a traditional healer.

At Mulago National Referral Hospital, the patient suffered from multiple organ failure and passed away on January 29. Sudan Ebola Virus Disease (strain) was confirmed by post-mortem samples, the ministry said in a statement.

According to the government, forty-four of the deceased man’s contacts—including thirty medical professionals—have been listed for trading.

But since Kampala, the site of the most recent Ebola outbreak, is a bustling metropolis with a population of over 4 million and serves as a hub for travel to South Sudan, Congo, Rwanda, and other nations, contact tracing may prove difficult.

Contact with infected bodily fluids and tissue can spread the highly contagious hemorrhagic fever. Headache, blood in the vomit, muscle aches, and bleeding are among the symptoms.

In order to quickly contain recent Ebola outbreaks, Ugandan authorities have leveraged their years-long capacity, which includes laboratory testing, patient care expertise, contact tracing, and other skills.

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The last outbreak in Uganda occurred in late 2022, and on January 11, 2023, it was deemed to be over after over four months of fighting to contain the virus.

Of the 143 individuals affected by the most recent outbreak, 55 died, including six healthcare professionals.

According to the government, the patient also sought care at a public hospital in Mbale, which is located close to the Kenyan border, 240 kilometers (150 miles) east of Kampala.

According to the ministry, everyone of the deceased’s contacts will start receiving Ebola vaccinations right away. Although Uganda received some trial doses of the vaccine during the most recent outbreak, there is presently no authorized vaccine for the Sudan strain of Ebola.

Last week, neighboring Tanzania reported an outbreak of Marburg, an Ebola cousin. Uganda also shares borders with Congo, where Ebola outbreaks are frequent, and Rwanda, which recently recovered from a Marburg outbreak.