Uganda confirms 5 new Ebola cases; total rises to 7

Five new cases of Ebola have been confirmed in Uganda, bringing the total to seven in the current outbreak, according to health officials.

The new cases were confirmed by Tuesday, according to an update from the World Health Organization (WHO). All cases are linked to the first patient in the outbreak through two main clusters involving family members and healthcare workers.

Of the seven total cases, only one death has been reported—that of the index case—while the remaining six patients have been admitted for treatment.

At least 298 contacts have been identified across multiple districts in Uganda. So far, 65 samples have been tested in reference laboratories, with seven returning positive, according to the WHO report.

The locations of the new cases have not been disclosed, but they are believed to have occurred in or near Uganda’s capital, Kampala, where the index patient sought treatment at multiple facilities and from a traditional healer. At least eight districts have been classified as very high risk, while nine others are considered high risk for the ongoing outbreak.

The first confirmed case was a 32-year-old male nurse employed at Mulago National Referral Hospital in Kampala. He initially developed fever-like symptoms on January 19 and sought treatment at multiple health facilities, including from a traditional healer, while symptomatic.

His condition worsened, progressing to bleeding from multiple body sites, according to Uganda’s Health Ministry. He suffered multi-organ failure and died at Mulago Hospital on January 29.

The second case in the outbreak was the wife of the index patient, who tested positive for Sudan Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) after developing symptoms consistent with the disease.

Sudan Ebolavirus disease is a severe, often fatal illness affecting humans and other primates. It is caused by Orthoebolavirus sudanense (Sudan virus), a viral species belonging to the same genus as the virus responsible for Ebola virus disease. Case fatality rates for Sudan virus disease have ranged from 41% to 100% in past outbreaks.

There have been eight previous outbreaks of the Sudan Ebola virus, with five occurring in Uganda and three in Sudan, according to WHO. Uganda’s last Ebola outbreak was in 2022.

The 2022 outbreak in Uganda resulted in 77 deaths out of 164 cases across nine districts. In Kampala, there were 19 reported cases, including three deaths, according to a post-evaluation study published in The Lancet.