By Frank Kamuntu
The Ministry of Health has today confirmed an outbreak of Sudan Ebola Virus Disease in Kampala, Uganda. This follows laboratory confirmation from three national reference laboratories: the Central Public Health Laboratory in Kampala, the Uganda Virus Research Institute in Entebbe and Makerere University. This marks the eighth Ebola outbreak in Uganda.
The confirmed case, designated as the index case, is a 32-year-old male nurse, an employee of Mulago National Referral Hospital who initially developed fever-like symptoms and sought treatment at multiple health facilities, including Mulago National Referral Hospital in Kampala, Saidina Abubakar Islamic Hospital in Matugga in Wakiso District, and Mbale Regional Referral Hospital in Mbale City, as well as from a traditional healer.
The patient presented with a five-day history of high fever, chest pain, and difficulty in breathing, which later progressed to unexplained bleeding from multiple body sites. The patient experienced multi-organ failure and succumbed to the illness at Mulago National Referral Hospital on 29th January 2025. Post-mortem samples confirmed Sudan Ebola Virus Disease.
Currently, no other health care worker or patient on the ward has presented with signs or symptoms of Ebola.
Ebola is a severe and often fatal viral illness. It spreads through direct contact with infected bodily fluids or contaminated objects. The virus can be transmitted through:
• Human-to-human transmission via direct contact (through broken skin or mucous membranes) with:
o Blood or body fluids of a person who is sick with or has died from Ebola.
o Contaminated objects such as medical equipment or personal items that have come into contact with infected body fluids.
• Close contact with the blood, secretions, organs, or bodily fluids of infected animals such as fruit bats, chimpanzees, gorillas, monkeys, forest antelope, or porcupines found sick or dead in the rainforest.
Symptoms of Ebola
A suspected Ebola case may present with any of the following symptoms:
• Sudden onset fever
• Fatigue
• Chest pain
• Diarrhea
• Vomiting
• Unexplained bleeding
• Yellowing of the eyes
• Restlessness
• Headache
Bleeding manifestations usually appear in later stages after the above symptoms.
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