Uganda Reports Second Ebola Fatality Amid Ongoing Outbreak

A second fatality has been confirmed in Uganda’s worsening Ebola outbreak, the health ministry announced on Saturday.

The victim, a four-and-a-half-year-old child from Kibuli in the capital Kampala, was linked to the primary infection cluster.

The outbreak, which began in late January, had previously recorded 10 cases of the Sudan Ebola strain.

Among the victims was a nurse at Mulago National Referral Hospital, who succumbed to the virus earlier in the week.

On Saturday, health officials reported another positive case detected at Mulago Hospital.

Authorities had believed the outbreak was contained after eight infected individuals received treatment and recovered. However, the recent fatalities suggest the virus is still spreading.

Currently, 265 people who came into contact with the deceased nurse are under quarantine at hospitals in Kampala and Mbale for monitoring.

This marks Uganda’s sixth outbreak of the Sudan Ebola strain, which has no approved vaccine.

A vaccination trial began earlier this month, earning praise from the World Health Organisation for being the fastest vaccine rollout during an active epidemic.

Uganda Ebola Crisis is transmitted through body fluids, with symptoms including fever, vomiting, bleeding, and diarrhoea.

The incubation period ranges from two to 21 days, and patients become contagious only after symptoms appear.

Uganda’s previous Ebola outbreak between 2022 and 2023 claimed 55 lives.

The deadliest epidemic occurred in West Africa between 2013 and 2016, resulting in over 11,300 deaths.

Uganda Ebola Crisis  Across Africa, more than 15,000 people have died from Ebola in the past 50 years.