Uganda confirms Ebola case, 65 die in DR Congo in latest outbreak

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Uganda has confirmed an imported case of Ebola Bundibugyo Virus Disease after a 59-year-old Congolese man who had been admitted at Kibuli Muslim Hospital in Kampala died from the highly infectious disease, triggering an emergency national response amid a growing outbreak in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo that has already left at least 65 people dead.

The Ministry of Health said the deceased was admitted on May 11 with respiratory distress, fever, epigastric pain, nausea and difficulty passing urine before his condition deteriorated in the Intensive Care Unit, where he later developed bleeding symptoms and died on May 14.

According to Permanent Secretary Dr Diana Atwine, the patient’s body was transported back to DR Congo on the same evening before Ugandan authorities received an alert from Congolese health officials about a suspected Ebola outbreak across the border.

“The Ministry took a decision to test an earlier obtained sample from the deceased during his care. The sample was taken for testing at the Central Emergency Surveillance and Response Support Laboratory in Wandegeya, where it was confirmed as Ebola Bundibugyo,” Dr Atwine said in a statement issued on May 15.

She said the case was imported from DR Congo and Uganda had not yet confirmed any local transmission.

The confirmation comes as the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention reported a worsening Ebola outbreak in Ituri Province in eastern DR Congo, where about 246 suspected cases and 65 deaths have been reported, mainly in the Mongwalu and Rwampara health zones.

Africa CDC said laboratory tests conducted by the Institut National de Recherche Biomédicale detected Ebola virus in 13 out of 20 samples tested, with preliminary findings suggesting a non-Zaire Ebola strain. Sequencing to fully identify the strain is ongoing.

Uganda has since activated national emergency response systems, deploying screening, surveillance and rapid response teams at official and unofficial border entry points, especially along the western border and major transit routes.

The Ministry of Health has also activated response structures in high-risk districts, deployed a mobile laboratory at Bwera Hospital and strengthened isolation, infection prevention and public risk communication measures.

One high-risk contact linked to the deceased has already been isolated, while health officials are tracing and quarantining all individuals believed to have come into contact with the patient.

Health Minister Dr Jane Ruth Aceng said Uganda’s disease surveillance systems had significantly improved following previous Ebola outbreaks, allowing authorities to quickly detect and respond to suspected infections.

“We have built up a very strong system of identification, detection and response to these outbreaks. At the grassroots level we have our community health extension workers and Village Health Teams who have been trained not only to offer services door to door but also to act as surveillance officers,” Dr Aceng said.

She said suspected disease alerts are transmitted electronically through the eCommunity Health Information System directly to emergency operation centres across the country, enabling real-time response.

“That is our strength of responding to outbreaks,” she added.

Africa CDC warned that the outbreak poses a serious regional threat because of intense population movement between eastern Congo, Uganda and South Sudan, particularly through mining communities and border towns.

The agency also raised concern over insecurity in affected areas, gaps in contact tracing, infection prevention challenges and the proximity of cases to Uganda’s border.

An urgent high-level meeting involving Uganda, DR Congo, South Sudan, the World Health Organisation and several international partners was convened Friday, May 15, to coordinate surveillance, laboratory support, infection prevention, safe burials and cross-border preparedness.

“Africa CDC stands in solidarity with the Government and people of the Democratic Republic of the Congo as they respond to this outbreak,” said Africa CDC Director General Dr Jean Kaseya.

“Given the high population movement between affected areas and neighbouring countries, rapid regional coordination is essential.”

The Ministry of Health has urged health workers across Uganda to maintain a high level of suspicion and strictly follow infection prevention procedures, while private clinics have been directed to immediately report any suspected Ebola cases to district surveillance teams.

The public has meanwhile been advised to avoid direct physical contact with people showing Ebola symptoms, maintain proper hand hygiene and avoid exposure to body fluids, including blood, sweat, vomit, saliva, urine and stool.

Aceng also warned communities against handling bodies of suspected Ebola victims without supervision from trained burial teams.

Ebola is a severe viral disease transmitted through direct contact with infected body fluids or contaminated materials and can become fatal if not detected and treated early. Common symptoms include sudden fever, fatigue, chest pain, diarrhoea, vomiting and unexplained bleeding, which usually appears in later stages of the illness.