Uganda confirms Ebola outbreak caused death of Kampala hospital nurse
A 32-year-old male nurse at Mulago Hospital in the Ugandan capital Kampala has died of Ebola, health officials said Thursday, adding that at least 44 of his contacts had so far been identified. Uganda’s last outbreak of the disease, discovered in September 2022, killed at least 55 people before it was declared over in January 2023.
A nurse in Uganda has died of Ebola in the first recorded fatality since the country’s last outbreak of the disease ended in early 2023, a health official said Thursday.
The 32-year-old male nurse was an employee of Mulago Hospital, the main referral facility in the capital, Kampala, Diana Atwine, permanent secretary of the health ministry, told reporters Thursday.
After developing a fever, he was treated at several locations in Uganda before multiple lab tests confirmed he had been suffering from Ebola. The man died on Wednesday and the Sudan strain of Ebola was confirmed following postmortem tests, Atwine said.
At least 44 contacts of the victim have been identified, including 30 health workers and patients at Mulago Hospital, according to Uganda’s Ministry of Health.
The health authorities are “in full control of the situation,” Atwine said, while also urging Ugandans to report any suspected cases.
Tracing contacts is key to stemming the spread of Ebola, and there are no approved vaccines for the Sudan strain of Ebola.
Uganda’s last outbreak, discovered in September 2022, killed at least 55 people before it was declared over in January 2023.
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