Uganda has confirmed an outbreak of the Ebola virus in the capital, Kampala. On 29th January, the health ministry reported that the first confirmed patient who was a male nurse working at the Mulago National Referral Hospital, tragically passed away from the virus. This is appalling because over a year ago the country declared the end of its last outbreak, which claimed 55 lives out of 143 infected individuals.
The deceased displayed severe symptoms that ultimately led to multi-organ failure. He had initially sought treatment at multiple healthcare facilities and even consulted a traditional healer. His post-mortem tests confirmed he was infected with the Sudan strain of the Ebola virus.
The health ministry is currently going around trying to contain this situation thus far forty-four contacts of the deceased have been listed for tracing including 30 health workers.
However, the challenge is heightened by the dense population of Kampala- a city with over 4 million residents and a crucial transportation hub for travelers from neighboring countries like South Sudan, Congo, and Rwanda.
Historically, this is Uganda's ninth outbreak of the virus since it first recorded cases in 2000. The current incident proves that the fight against Ebola is far from over, and the government’s response should be critical for it to curb of this outbreak.
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