The Ugandan health authorities on Tuesday declared an outbreak of Ebola after a case of the relatively rare Sudan strain was confirmed in Mubende district, reported The Reuters.
In a statement, the Uganda Virus Research Institute along with the World Health Organization (WHO) said that the Ebola virus was found in a sample taken from a 24-year-old male who showed symptoms and later died.
The Ugandan health authorities said eight people with suspected symptoms are receiving medical care. The East African country last reported an outbreak of the strain in 2012.
Dr Matshidiso Moeti, the WHO’s Regional Director for Africa, said it was the first time in more than a decade that Uganda has reported the Ebola Sudan strain. She said the UN health body is working closely with the national health authorities to investigate the source of this outbreak while supporting the efforts to quickly roll out effective control measures.
“Uganda is no stranger to effective Ebola control. Thanks to its expertise, action has been taken to quickly to detect the virus and we can bank on this knowledge to halt the spread of infections,” Moeti added.
She said the WHO is deploying staff to the affected area to help the Ugandan health authorities. She added that the global health body has already dispatched supplies to support the care of patients and is sending a tent that will be used to isolate patients.
There have been seven previous outbreaks of the Ebola Sudan strain, with four occurring in Uganda and three in Sudan. Uganda has had multiple Ebola outbreaks, including one in 2000 that killed hundreds.
The last time Uganda reported the Ebola Sudan outbreak was in 2012. In 2019, the country experienced an outbreak of Ebola Zaire. The virus was imported from neighboring Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) which was battling a large epidemic in its north-eastern region.
