The Ugandan Ministry of Health confirmed on Thursday that an Ebola outbreak has occurred in the capital, Kampala, following the death of a nurse at Mulago National Referral Hospital.
The nurse, who showed fever-like symptoms, had been treated at several facilities, including by traditional healers, before succumbing to the disease on January 29.
A post-mortem examination confirmed that it was the Sudanese strain of the Ebola virus.
According to Reuters, authorities have identified 44 people who had been in contact with the deceased, including 30 health workers. Efforts are ongoing to locate them.
“The patient suffered multiple organ failure and died on January 29 at Mulago National Referral Hospital.” 29. Autopsy samples confirmed the disease to be the Sudan Ebola virus disease strain,” the ministry said in a statement, Reuters reported.
But the process is expected to be difficult, given Kampala’s population density of over four million people and its role as a major transit point to neighboring countries such as South Sudan, the Democratic Republic of Congo and Rwanda.
Ebola is a highly contagious hemorrhagic fever that spreads through contact with infected bodily fluids. Symptoms include severe headaches, muscle pain, bloody vomiting, and internal bleeding.
The Ugandan government responded quickly, using expertise from past outbreaks to initiate containment measures, patient care, and contact tracing.
Reuters reported that this is the ninth recorded Ebola outbreak in Uganda since the first case in 2000. The most recent outbreak occurred in late 2022, infecting 143 people and killing 55, including six healthcare workers.
The outbreak lasted about four months before being declared over in January 2023.
Health authorities announced they would begin vaccinating all identified contacts of those who died. However, there is currently no licensed vaccine against the Sudanese strain, although Uganda administered an experimental vaccine during the last outbreak.
