Uganda has reported the second imported Ebola Bundibugyo Virus Disease case linked to eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, health authorities confirmed over the weekend.
Colonel Dr Henry Kyobe Bosa, the National Incident Commander for Public Health Emergencies at the Ministry of Health told reporters on Sunday that both confirmed cases involve Congolese nationals who entered Uganda seeking specialized medical treatment.
“Transmission never took place here in Uganda. They are DRC nationals who came to Uganda to seek treatment,” Dr Kyobe told local media.
The development comes days after the Ministry of Health confirmed Uganda’s first imported Ebola Bundibugyo case involving a 59-year-old Congolese man who died at Kibuli Muslim Hospital in Kampala.
He revealed that one of the patients who had been admitted at Nakasero Hospital had since been transferred to the Ebola isolation facility at Mulago for specialised management and monitoring.
“But one from Nakasero has since been retrieved. He’s with us at the isolation facility in Mulago,” he said.
According to Kyobe, as of May 16, health authorities had identified at least 103 contacts linked to the confirmed Ebola cases, all of whom are being monitored and quarantined for 21 days as part of efforts to prevent local transmission.
He explained that surveillance teams are currently retracing the movements of the infected individuals to determine all possible exposure points and contacts.
According to the Ministry of Health, all identified contacts are under strict quarantine and daily monitoring for symptoms associated with Ebola Virus Disease.
The latest developments have raised concern following reports from the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention that at least 88 people have died in the latest Ebola outbreak in Ituri Province in eastern DR Congo, where more than 400 suspected cases have been recorded.
MG/as/APA