Ebola virus claimed another small kid’s life in Uganda, making this the second death in an outbreak that was initially documented in late January, Health Ministry recent report says.
Authorities in Uganda confirmed 10 cases of the deadly Sudan form of Ebola on Tuesday. A nurse from Mulago National Referral Hospital was one of the victims who passed away from the illness.
Mulago officials announced another positive case on Saturday. A four-and-a-half-year-old child from Kibuli, Kampala, was the most recent victim and was connected to the original cluster of infections.
Prior to this, on February 19, health officials said that the outbreak, which was initially reported on January 30, seemed to be under control because eight sick people had recovered well from treatment.
In hospitals in Kampala and Mbale, 265 people who had contact with the deceased nurse were placed under quarantine for observation in reaction to the epidemic.
There is presently no approved vaccination for the Sudanese Ebola strain, which has caused six outbreaks in Uganda. A vaccine study for this strain started earlier this month, and the World Health Organization praised it for being the fastest deployment of a vaccine trial during an active outbreak.
Direct contact with bodily fluids can spread Ebola. It usually takes two to twenty-one days after exposure for symptoms including fever, vomiting, bleeding, and diarrhea to manifest before an infected person becomes contagious.
Over the course of four months in 2022–2023, Uganda experienced its most recent Ebola outbreak, which claimed 55 lives.
The most severe Ebola epidemic occurred in West Africa between 2013 and 2016, claiming over 11,300 lives, according to WHO estimates.
