The number of confirmed Ebola cases in Uganda has risen to nine, while 265 people remain under quarantine as health officials work to contain the outbreak, authorities said Tuesday.
The cases include the first victim, a male nurse who died on Jan. 30, a day before the outbreak was officially declared. He remains the only reported fatality.
Eight patients are receiving medical care and are in stable condition, according to a statement from Uganda’s Health Ministry. Seven have been admitted to the main public hospital in Kampala, the capital, while one is receiving treatment in the eastern district of Mbale. Officials said the situation is under control amid heightened surveillance.
The nurse who died initially sought treatment in Kampala before traveling to Mbale, where he was admitted to a public hospital. Authorities said he had also consulted a traditional healer. His relatives are among those currently receiving treatment for Ebola.
Kampala, home to nearly 4 million people, remains a key focus for health officials investigating the source of the outbreak.
Health experts are prioritizing contact tracing to prevent further spread of the Ebola virus, which causes viral hemorrhagic fever.
There are no approved vaccines for the Sudan strain of Ebola, which is currently circulating in Uganda. However, health authorities have initiated a clinical trial to assess the safety and efficacy of a candidate vaccine as part of containment efforts.
Uganda’s last Ebola outbreak, which began in September 2022, resulted in 55 deaths before being declared over four months later.
Ebola is transmitted through contact with bodily fluids of an infected person or contaminated materials. Symptoms include fever, vomiting, diarrhea, muscle pain, and, in severe cases, internal and external bleeding.
Scientists believe initial infections in outbreaks originate from human contact with infected animals or consumption of raw meat from such animals. The Ebola virus was first identified in 1976 during simultaneous outbreaks in South Sudan and the Democratic Republic of Congo, near the Ebola River, after which the disease was named.
