Ebola is spread through close physical contact with infected people/AFP

Uganda has reported six new cases of the Sudan strain of Ebola virus bringing the total number of confirmed infections to nine people since the outbreak was declared on January 30, according to health authorities.

Charles Olaro, Acting Director General of the Ministry of Health said in a press statement that 265 other contacts were being monitored under quarantine.

The nine cases include the first victim, a male nurse who died the day before the outbreak was declared and the eight patients are receiving medical care and are in stable condition.

“As of today, (February 10), a total of nine confirmed cases have been reported. Unfortunately, the first case succumbed to the disease,” Olaro said.

“The remaining eight confirmed cases are currently receiving medical care and are in stable condition. Of these, seven are being treated at Mulago National Referral Hospital while one patient is in Mbale Regional Hospital.”

The country’s health ministry urges the public to stay vigilant and report any individuals exhibiting symptoms of Ebola to health authorities or the nearest health facility.

Following the declaration of the outbreak in Uganda, South Sudan’s Ministry of Health announced urgent measures to boost surveillance and response at key entry points.

According to Dr. Kediende Chong, Director General of Preventive Health Services and Emergency Response, South Sudan is at increased risk due to frequent cross-border movement.

Sudan virus disease is a severe, often fatal illness affecting humans and other primates that is due to Orthoebolavirus sudanense (Sudan virus), a viral species belonging to the same genus of the virus causing Ebola virus disease.

Both can cause severe hemorrhagic fever in humans and nonhuman primates. According to the UN health agency, case fatality rates of Sudan virus disease have varied from 41% to 100% in past outbreaks.

While there are two approved vaccines for Ebola Zaire, no licensed vaccines exist to protect against Sudan ebolavirus. Meanwhile, early initiation of supportive treatment has been shown to significantly reduce deaths from Sudan virus disease. 

Sudan ebolaviruses are transmitted to humans by infected animals, particularly fruit bats. Once a human is infected, the virus can spread to others through close personal contact or contact with bodily fluids. Isolation of infected people is currently the centerpiece of filovirus control.

Ebola was identified in 1976 when two simultaneous outbreaks occurred in northern Zaire (now the Democratic Republic of Congo) in a village near the Ebola River and southern Sudan.

The outbreaks involved what eventually proved to be two different species of Ebola virus; both were named after the nations in which they were discovered.

On February 3, Uganda launched a trial of a vaccine against the Ebola strain – with the initial participant receiving a dose which developed by the International Aids Vaccine Initiative, a global non-profit organisation.