The World Health Organization (WHO) has confirmed the first Ebola case in Uganda. A five-year-old Congolese child, who entered Uganda on June 9 through Bwera Border post, has tested positive for Ebola in the first cross-border case of the deadly virus.
“This is the first confirmed case in Uganda during the Ebola outbreak on-going in the neighboring Democratic Republic of the Congo,” the WHO said in a statement, reported Reuters.
Two family members of the child were also being tested for Ebola after developing symptoms. The test results are expected on Wednesday.
The WHO said the child’s family sought medical care at Kagando hospital and the kid was transferred to Bwera Ebola Treatment Unit.
“The confirmation was made today by the Uganda Virus Institute (UVRI) …contacts are being monitored,” WHO said.
Ina joint statement, Uganda’s health ministry and WHO said they have dispatched a rapid response team to identify others at risk and ensure they are monitored and provided with care if they also become ill.
According to the WHO, Uganda has already vaccinated about 4,700 health workers in 165 facilities against the deadly disease.
“The boy has been taken into the isolation unit as have other family members for monitoring. He is receiving treatment,” Health Minister Jane Ruth Aceng said.
She also tweeted that the country had moved into “response mode” following the incident.
This is the first case confirmed in Uganda amid a deadly outbreak in neighboring Democratic Republic of Congo. More than 2,000 cases have been recorded in DRC in the last 10 months. Almost 1,400 people have died of the disease since August last year. Another Ebola outbreak in West Africa between 2013 and 2016 killed 11,310 people.
The DRC is still struggling to contain the outbreak due to militia attacks on treatment centers and hostility of some local people to the medical teams.
