Uganda Reports Three New Ebola Cases, Total Now Five Nationwide

Uganda Reports Three New Ebola Cases

Three new cases of Ebola have been confirmed in Uganda, bringing the total number of infections in the country to five. The Ministry of Health announced the update on Saturday, as part of efforts to contain the spread of the virus.

The new cases include a driver who transported the country’s first confirmed patient and a health worker exposed while caring for that patient. Both are receiving treatment and have been identified among known contacts.

A third case is a woman from the Democratic Republic of Congo who entered Uganda with mild abdominal symptoms. She later travelled to Entebbe before seeking medical care at a private hospital in Kampala. The patient initially improved but later tested positive for Ebola after a follow-up prompted by a tip-off from a pilot involved in transporting her.

The World Health Organization has revised the risk assessment for the Bundibugyo strain of Ebola, classifying it as “very high at the national level, high at the regional level, and low at global level”. The WHO is working with Uganda’s Ministry of Health and other partners to contain the outbreak, support affected people, and bolster a coordinated response.

In the Democratic Republic of Congo, nearly 750 suspected cases and 177 suspected deaths have been recorded. First responders in the country report lacking basic supplies, which some attribute to foreign aid cuts by major international donors. The WHO has identified several factors contributing to the DRC’s vulnerability, including late detection, the absence of a vaccine or virus-specific therapeutics, widespread armed violence, and high mobility among the population.

Uganda suspended public transport to the Democratic Republic of Congo on Thursday after confirming two cases of Ebola involving Congolese nationals who crossed the border. All identified contacts linked to the confirmed cases are being closely monitored by authorities.

Source: Al Jazeera