Uganda confirms new Ebola case as Congolese girl tests positive

Uganda has confirmed a new case of Ebola in the country’s Kasese district. According to the Ministry of Health, the case is of a nine-year-old girl of Congolese origin.

A statement signed by Minister of State Joyce Moriku Kaducu said: the patient traveled with her mother from the Democratic Republic of Congo, DRC, and entered Ugandan territory on August 28, 2019.

Mother and child entered the country via Mpondwe main border post as they sought medical attention in the town of Bwera in Kasese.

“The child was identified by the point of entry screening team …. she was subsequently isolated and transferred to Bwera hospital Ebola Treatment Unit where she is currently being managed,” a Ministry statement read.

Till the latest incident, Uganda has had multiple Ebola outbreaks in the past. Three people died in June after crossing into the country’s Kasese district on an unguarded footpath. Their family members were taken back to Congo for treatment.

The Ebola virus can spread quickly and be fatal in up to 90% of cases. Symptoms include fever, vomiting, diarrhea, muscle pain and at times internal and external bleeding.

The virus is most often spread by close contact with bodily fluids of people exhibiting symptoms and with contaminated objects such as sheets. Health care workers are often at risk.