The Ministry of Health (MOH) has confirmed an Ebola Virus Outbreak in Uganda following the death if a 24- year- old man at Mubende Regional Referral Hospital on Monday.
The deceased tested positive for the Sudan variant.
Dr. Diana Atwine the Health Ministry Permanent Secretary told media at a press conference at the ministry Tuesday morning, that they have dispatched a rapid response team to Madudu and Kiruma villages in Mubende to do a verbal post-mortem on the six reported victims who died between September 11th and 15th, 2022.
According to Dr. Atwine, the team is also expected to gather the contacts of the confirmed case for quarantining. Three adults and three children who died were living in the same family with the confirmed case, which has now been isolated in the mortuary awaiting burial by the medical team.
However, the exact source of infection is still unclear as epidemiologists both at the Ministry and the World Health Organization, say no country has reported the circulation of the Sudan variant.
The neighboring DRC has over the last three years been registering outbreaks of the Zaire variant as Dr. Henry Kyobe says.
Commenting on this development, Dr. Bayo Fatunmbi, the Acting World Health Organization(WHO) Country representative asked the public to be vigilant considering that the virus spreads through bodily contact and that this strain is rare having last been confirmed in Uganda in 2011 when a case was picked from Luweero.
Bayo adds that, while elsewhere including in Congo, part of the efforts to control transmission is having ring vaccination of contacts, this will not happen in Uganda since the existing vaccine only works with the Zaire variant. The vaccine that could work for the Sudan virus is only under development.
Meanwhile, the public has been urged to observe standard operating procedures by sanitizing and avoiding close contact with people considering that the virus can spread through bodily fluids like sweat.
MOH also urges health workers, especially in the private facilities which are the first point of care for many to keenly observe patients and refer them in a timely manner once they develop symptoms such as fatigue, fever, chest pain, diarrhea, and unexplained bleeding from anybody site among others.
Atwine says other guidelines for health workers will be issued later on today.