A nurse in Uganda has died of Ebola, marking the country’s first recorded fatality since its last outbreak ended in early 2023, according to health officials. The 32-year-old male nurse was working at Mulago Hospital, a major referral facility in Kampala.
After developing a fever, he was treated at multiple locations before being confirmed with Ebola through postmortem tests. At least 44 contacts have been identified, including 30 healthcare workers and patients at the hospital.
The health authorities are in control of the situation, urging Ugandans to report any suspected cases. Tracing contacts is crucial in preventing the spread of Ebola, but there are no approved vaccines for the Sudan strain being used in the outbreak.
Uganda’s last Ebola outbreak in 2022 killed at least 55 people before it was declared over in January 2023. The WHO has allocated $1 million to support Uganda’s response, and a full-scale response is being initiated by the government and partners.
The city of Kampala, with its highly mobile population of 4 million, poses challenges for responding to the outbreak. Health authorities have identified several locations where the infected nurse traveled, including a hospital outside Kampala and a public hospital in Mbale.
Health experts expect a swift response in tracing all possible Ebola contacts in Kampala and elsewhere. The virus is spread through contact with bodily fluids of an infected person or contaminated materials, causing symptoms such as fever, vomiting, diarrhea, muscle pain, and internal bleeding.
Scientists believe the first person infected in an outbreak acquired the virus through contact with an infected animal or eating its raw meat. The source of the current outbreak remains under investigation, and Uganda has had multiple Ebola outbreaks in the past, including one in 2000 that killed hundreds.
Source: https://apnews.com/article/uganda-ebola-case-kampala-nurse-health-symptoms-762d73117fda1220f9907ad54295f1ef