Uganda has recorded three additional Ebola infections, raising the total number of confirmed cases in the ongoing outbreak to five, as health authorities intensify surveillance and contact tracing measures to prevent further spread.
The outbreak involves the rare Bundibugyo strain of Ebola, which the World Health Organization has classified as a public health emergency of international concern.
The WHO has also warned that the risk of a wider epidemic in the Democratic Republic of Congo remains extremely high due to delayed detection, insecurity, population movement, and the absence of an approved vaccine or targeted treatment for the strain.
Health officials said the newly confirmed cases in Uganda include a driver who transported the countryâs first Ebola patient and a healthcare worker exposed while treating the infected individual.
“Both patients are currently receiving treatment and had already been identified among known contacts under monitoring,” the official said.
The third confirmed case involves a Congolese woman who crossed into Uganda with mild abdominal symptoms before travelling from Arua near the border to Entebbe and later seeking medical attention at a private hospital in Kampala.
ALSO READ: Uganda Begins Ebola Screening At Border Points
According to the health ministry, the woman initially showed signs of recovery and returned to Congo, but subsequent investigations prompted by information from a pilot involved in her transport led to further testing, which later confirmed Ebola infection.
Authorities said all identified contacts linked to the confirmed cases are under close observation, while members of the public have been urged to remain alert and report anyone showing symptoms associated with the virus.
The outbreak in neighbouring Congo has already resulted in nearly 750 suspected infections and 177 suspected deaths, according to health officials.
Reuters
