Vishnupriya
A fresh Ebola outbreak has been reported in Uganda two years after the last one ended in the landlocked country in January 2023, Uganda’s ministry of health has confirmed. A 32-year-old male nurse died of the deadly viral hemorrhagic fever in Kampala. The patient exhibited a series of deadly symptoms and died of multiple organ failure on Wednesday at Mulango National Hospital.
First Ebola outbreak in Uganda was recorded in 2000 and since then the disease has struck the country eight more times.
What are the symptoms reported in the current Ebola outbreak?
The victim’s symptoms included “high fever, chest pain, and difficulty in breathing” and “bleeding from multiple body sites”, according to the health ministry.
“The patient presented with a five-day history of high fever, chest pain, and difficulty in breathing, which later progressed to unexplained bleeding from multiple body sites. The patient experienced multi-organ failure and succumbed to the illness at Mulago National Referral Hospital on 29th January 2025. Post-mortem samples confirmed Sudan Ebola Virus Disease. Currently, no other health care worker or patient on the ward has presented with signs or symptoms of Ebola,” Ministry of Health- Uganda’s X post read.
What are the usual symptoms of Sudan Ebola virus
Sudden onset of fever, fatigue, muscle pain, headaches, sore throat, followed by vomiting, diarrhoea, rash, impaired kidney, liver functions and even internal and external bleeding are symptoms of the disease, according to National Centre for Infectious Diseases.
What is Sudan Ebola Virus Disease (SUDV)?
The Sudan Ebola Virus Disease (SUDV) is a highly infectious haemorrhagic fever. Outbreaks of Ebola disease caused by Sudan virus (SUDV) are referred to as Sudan Virus Disease (SVD) outbreak.
Ebola virus is a single-stranded RNA virus belonging to the Filoviridae family and one of the six species of the genus Ebolavirus. The Zaire, Sudan, Taï Forest and Bundibugyo species cause human disease, whereas Reston and Bombali viruses are non-pathogenic in human.
SUDV was first identified in southern Sudan in 1976 and has caused seven outbreaks (four in Uganda and three in Sudan), so far.
SVD is a highly fatal illness and there is no licensed vaccines or treatment for its prevention and treatment.
The ministry said the victim sought treatment at multiple health facilities, as well as from a traditional healer, before his diagnosis was confirmed. Apart from Mulago National Referral Hospital in Kampala, he also went to Saidina Abubakar Islamic Hospital in Matugga in Wakiso District, and MbaleRegional Referral Hospital in Mbale City.
44 contacts of the deceased have so far been listed including 30 healthcare workers and patients from Mulago, 11 family members and 4 health workers from Saidina Abubakar Islamic Hospital in Matugga. The ministry said that vaccination of all contacts of the deceased against EVD (Ebola Virus Disease) is set to begin immediately.
Uganda’s last Ebola outbreak caused by SUDV was in September 2022 and lasted for over four months.
The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that, on average, Ebola kills five in every 10 infected people.
However, in past outbreaks, the fatality rate has ranged from 25% to 90%, depending on the circumstances and response measures.
(Picture courtesy: iStock, X/Ministry of Health- Uganda)
