Uganda has reported a new Ebola case after 3 weeks, bringing the total number of infections recorded in the country to 20, the country’s ministry of health disclosed on Tuesday.
According to the ministry, 14 patients have recovered, while four remain hospitalized. Two deaths have been reported. The country had recorded its last confirmed infection on June 5. According to sources within the Ministry of Health, the case was confirmed on Monday and, like several others recorded during the outbreak, is linked to a Congolese national. The Bundibugyo virus disease (BVD) outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo continues to evolve rapidly, with sustained transmission and increasing numbers of reported cases.
In Uganda, the outbreak remains epidemiologically linked to transmission originating in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, with evidence of both imported infections and secondary transmission among contacts and healthcare workers. Among the confirmed cases, 15 had travel links to DRC and five were associated with local transmission events. Of nine cases with known geographical information, eight were reported in Kampala and one in the neighbouring district of Wakiso.
On 22 June, the DRC Ministry of Health reported a total of 1 048 confirmed cases, including 267 confirmed related deaths, and 371 individuals hospitalised in isolation as of 21 June. Included in this report are 45 new confirmed cases and 13 new deaths since the last update. Ituri is the most affected province, with 954 confirmed cases from 22 health zones. In North Kivu, 91 confirmed cases have been reported from 11 health zones, and in South Kivu, three cases from one health zone.
MG/abj/APA