Health worker dead as WHO confirms Ebola outbreak in Uganda

The World Health Organisation (WHO) has confirmed an outbreak of the Sudan virus disease (SVD) in Uganda.

SVD belongs to the same genus as the fatal Ebola virus disease.

The infectious haemorrhagic fever is transmitted through contact with bodily fluids and tissue

Authorities on Friday confirmed that one person – a nurse – died seeking treatment at medical facilities after developing fever-like symptoms in Kampala, Uganda’s capital.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) said the identification of the case in a densely populated urban area necessitates a rapid and intense response.

The UN health agency said no other health workers or patients have shown symptoms, but noted that a total of 45 contacts are under close monitoring.

In response to the outbreak, the WHO said it is mobilising efforts to support national health authorities in swiftly containing and ending the outbreak.

The WHO said senior public health experts and staff are being deployed to support key outbreak response measures.

The UN health agency said it has allocated $1 million from its contingency fund for emergencies to accelerate early action.

Although there are no licensed vaccines for Sudan virus disease, WHO said it is coordinating with developers to deploy candidate vaccines once all necessary approvals are obtained.

There have been eight previous outbreaks of Sudan virus disease, with five in Uganda and three in Sudan.

Uganda last reported an outbreak in 2022.