Uganda confirmed an epidemic of the Ebola virus in the capital Kampala, the first confirmed patient died on Wednesday, the Ministry of Health announced on Thursday.
This is the ninth epidemic of the country of East Africa since it recorded its first infection of viral disease in 2000.
The patient, a male nurse from the National Reference Hospital of Mulago in Kampala, had initially requested treatment in various facilities, including Mulago, as well as with a traditional healer, after developing symptoms of fever.
“The patient experienced a multi-organization failure and succumbed to Mulago’s National Reference Hospital disease on January 29. The post-mortem samples confirmed the disease of the Sudan Ebola virus (strain),” said the ministry in a press release.
Forty-four contacts of the deceased man have been listed for tracing, including 30 health workers, said the ministry.
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However, the tracing of contacts could be difficult because Kampala, where the latest Ebola infection appeared, is a city crowded with more than 4 million people and a crossroads for traffic to South Sudan, Congo, Rwanda and other countries.
Highly infectious hemorrhagic fever is transmitted by contact with infected body fluids and tissues. Symptoms include headache, blood vomiting, muscle pain and bleeding.
The Ugandan authorities have used capacities acquired over the years, such as laboratory tests, patient care know-how, contacting contacts and other skills, to control the recent Ebola epidemics in relatively little time.
The World Health Organization said that it had allocated $ 1 million in its emergency emergency fund to support rapid action to contain the epidemic.
The World Health Organization also worked with developers to send candidate vaccines, he said in a statement.
Uganda underwent an epidemic at the end of 2022 which killed 55 of the 143 infected people. This epidemic was declared on January 11, 2023.
Ebola vaccination for all the deceased contact will start immediately, said the ministry. There is currently no approved vaccine for the Ebola Sudan strain, although Uganda has received doses of trial vaccine during the last epidemic.
An epidemic of Marburg, an Ebola cousin, was declared last week in neighboring Tanzania. Uganda also borders Rwanda, which has just come out of an epidemic of Marburg, and the Congo where Ebola’s epidemics are common.
