Uganda has first Ebola fatality since 2019

Ugandan health authorities Tuesday reported that a 24-year-old man who died a day earlier had tested positive for the Sudan strain of the highly contagious virus. Six people, all within the same family, had also contracted the virus in the central district of Mubende, according to Dr. Diana Atwine, permanent secretary of the Uganda Ministry of Health. Uganda has declared an outbreak in the region. The World Health Organization reported separately that eight other patients are being treated for the virus.

What are the symptoms of Ebola and how did it get to Uganda? Ebola, which is spread by contact with bodily fluids of an infected person or contaminated materials, manifests as a deadly hemorrhagic fever. Symptoms include fever, vomiting, diarrhea, muscle pain, and at times internal and external bleeding. There is no approved vaccine. Neighboring Congo has reported more than 2,000 deaths from the virus between 2018 and 2020, and Uganda has reported some cases during that time that it said were linked to the outbreak in the Congo. Uganda said it is currently gathering more information on the source of this outbreak.

Dig deeper: Read Emily Belz’s report from the WORLD archives about one small hospital in Liberia that saved lives and paved the way for better healthcare in Africa.