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WHO says mobilizing efforts to contain ebolavirus in Uganda

Author: Chany Ninrew | Published: February 3, 2025

Health workers managing Ebola outbreak. (Photo: Courtesy.

World Health Organization (WHO) says it is mobilizing efforts to support health authorities in Uganda to swiftly contain the outbreak of ebolavirus that the country recently declared, putting neighboring South Sudan on alert.

On January 30, Uganda’s Ministry of Health said it has confirmed an outbreak of the relatively rare Sudan ebolavirus with one case in Kampala, following examination from 3 national reference laboratories.

Dr. Diana Atwine – permanent secretary of the health ministry said the case is a 32-year-old male nurse at Mulago National Referral Hospital, who initially developed fever-like symptoms and sought treatment until he passed.

She said 44 contacts have so far been listed including 30 Health workers and patients from Mulago, 11 Family Members of the deceased, and 4 health workers from Saidina Abubakar Islamic Hospital in Matugga.

In a press statement, WHO disclosed the deployment of senior public health experts and mobilizing staff from the country office to support all the key outbreak response measures.

The UN health agency added that it has allocated one million US dollars to help accelerate early action, while readying medical supplies, including personal protective equipment to deliver to Uganda. 

WHO also said it is coordinating with developers to deploy candidate vaccines as an addition to the other public health measures.

The vaccines will be deployed once all administrative and regulatory approvals are obtained. 

“We welcome the prompt declaration of this outbreak, and as a comprehensive response is being established, we are supporting the government and partners to scale up measures to quickly identify cases, isolate and provide care, curb the spread of the virus and protect the population,” said Dr Matshidiso Moeti, WHO Regional Director for Africa.

“Uganda’s robust expertise in responding to public health emergencies will be crucial in ending this outbreak effectively.”

There have been eight previous outbreaks of the Sudan virus disease, with five occurring in Uganda and three in Sudan. Uganda last reported an outbreak of Sudan virus disease in 2022. 

“Banking on the existing expertise, we are accelerating all efforts, including expertise, resources and tools to save lives and bring the outbreak to a halt swiftly,” said Dr Kasonde Mwinga, WHO Representative in Uganda. 

Following the announcement of the outbreak, South Sudan’s Ministry of Health adopted urgent measures to boost surveillance and response at key entry points – as a public health official said the country is at increased risk over porous border.

Dr. Kediende Chong, Director General of Preventive Health Services and Emergency Response, said due to population movement between the two countries, Juba has put Surveillance measures in place at key points of entry, including Juba International Airport and Nimule.

– Sudan ebolavirus –

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.

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