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WHO sends emergency team as Ebola outbreak kills one in Uganda

By IGIHE
On 31 January 2025 at 07:37

The World Health Organization (WHO) has dispatched an emergency medical team to assist Uganda in containing a new Ebola outbreak that has claimed the life of a health worker in Kampala.

The outbreak was confirmed on Thursday after a 32-year-old nurse at Mulago National Referral Hospital succumbed to the Sudan Ebola virus. Uganda’s Ministry of Health declared it the country’s eighth Ebola outbreak.

WHO is working closely with Ugandan authorities to enhance surveillance, case management, community awareness, and risk communication.

Health officials revealed that the deceased initially sought treatment at multiple facilities, including a traditional healer, before his diagnosis. So far, 45 contacts have been identified and isolated, including health workers, family members, and patients.

The Ministry of Health announced an immediate vaccination rollout for all identified contacts and frontline health workers using available Ebola vaccine doses.

Uganda had confirmed another Ebola outbreak in 2022.

Ebola is a highly contagious viral disease with symptoms such as fever, vomiting, diarrhea, and internal bleeding. Its fatality rate varies between 50% and 89%, depending on the virus strain.

WHO is working closely with Ugandan authorities to enhance surveillance, case management, community awareness, and risk communication.

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