Uganda health ministry on Tuesday announced that the deadly Ebola virus has broken out in the central part of the country.
According to local authorities, a person was admitted at
Mubende regional referral hospital on Sept. 15 after presenting Ebola symptoms
and died on Sept. 19.
The authorities said six other deaths are being investigated
after local communities reported people dying after strange illnesses.
In August, Uganda intensified surveillance on its western
border after the World Health Organization (WHO) announced an Ebola case in the
neighboring Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).
The ministry however added that the risk of disease spread
was high in 21 bordering districts.
Uganda has had over five Ebola outbreaks in the last two
decades, mostly along its western regions close to the DRC, according to the
ministry of health.
Ebola virus is highly contagious and causes various symptoms
including fever, vomiting, diarrhea, generalized pain or malaise, and in many
cases internal and external bleeding.
According to the WHO, the fatality rate for those who
contract Ebola ranges from 50 per cent to 89 per cent, depending on the viral
sub-type.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that in August,
Uganda intensified surveillance on its western border following a reported
Ebola case in the neighbouring eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).
The government also intensified risk communication in the
border districts.
Allan Muruta, the commissioner in charge of epidemics at the
ministry, told local media that the risk of disease spread was high in 21
bordering districts. Xinhua/NAN
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