First Ebola patient dies, officials in crisis meeting

The five-year-old boy who was diagnosed with Ebola on Tuesday has died.

Dr. Henry Mwebesa, the director General health services, has confirmed that the boy died last night at 10:00pm.

"Yes, he died at 10:00pm last night," Mwebesa said before stating that he is in a meeting. The meeting is between the ministry officials and the Kasese district taskforce, over the outbreak of the deadly disease.

Allan Bwambale from Masambu in the Democratic Republic of Congo had gone with his mother to attend the burial of his grandfather in Beni when he contracted the disease.

On Tuesday, the Ministry of Health confirmed that the boy and his family members had been taken into an isolation unit for close monitoring. The family lives in Bwera, Kasese.

This is the first case since the deadly outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo in August last year, and the second in the country.

 Following the outbreak in Congo where over 2,000 cases of Ebola have been recorded, Uganda has been on high alert. Security has been mounted at the porous border with people entering into the country being screened. Health officers have also been trained in the preparation of an Ebola outbreak in the country.

The Uganda Red Cross Society has joined the team from the ministry of health try and contain the virus.

Recently the ministry named the following as high-risk districts; Kasese, Kabarole, Ntoroko, Bundibugyo, Bunyangabu, Kisoro, Kampala and Wakiso districts.