The World Health Organization (WHO) said on Saturday night that Uganda’s Ministry of Health reported a positive Ebola case at Mulago Hospital, the country’s only referral centre for the virus, and it was discovered in a four-year-old who died on Tuesday.
On Tuesday, Uganda confirmed it had recorded 10 cases of a new strain of the virus. The first fatality from the latest outbreak was a male nurse who died before the outbreak was declared on January 30.
In February, the Health Ministry said all eight Ebola patients under care had been discharged, but at least 265 contacts remained under strict quarantine in Kampala.
The latest outbreak is the sixth time Uganda has detected cases of Ebola. The cause of this new outbreak has been referred to as the Sudan Ebola strain, which does not have an approved vaccine yet.
The 2014-2016 Ebola outbreak in West Africa killed more than 11,000 people – the virus’s largest death toll.
The virus is transmitted through contact with infected bodily fluids and tissues. Its symptoms include fever, vomiting and muscle pain.
Ebola surveillance work in Africa has come under threat as NGOs that used to be funded through the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) have been forced to stop as President Donald Trump is essentially dismantling the US government’s aid agency.
Charles Olaro, the director of health services at Uganda’s Ministry of Health, told The Associated Press that the aid cuts affect some NGOs that help nations respond to infectious diseases.
“There are challenges, but we need to adjust to the new reality,” Olaro said.
