The World Health Organization has confirmed a case of Ebola in Uganda.
This is the first case of Ebola confirmed in Uganda. The Democratic Republic of the Congo neighbors Uganda and has been experiencing an outbreak of the virus since last August.
“The confirmed case is a 5-year-old child from the Democratic Republic of the Congo who travelled with his family on 9th June 2019,” a Tuesday statement by the WHO read.
The child and his family traveled to Uganda to seek medical care. Health workers confirmed Tuesday that Ebola is the cause of the child’s illness. A rapid response team was sent to the hospital and surrounding area to identify any at risk individuals and to further monitor the situation.
“In response to this case, the Ministry [of Health] is intensifying community education, psychosocial support and will undertake vaccination for those who have come into contact with the patient and at-risk health workers who were not previously vaccinated,” the statement said.
The virus causes severe weakness, vomiting, muscle pain, and hemorrhaging. Early symptoms appear anywhere from two to 21 days after contact with the virus and resemble those of the flu, so health workers monitor potential carriers closely.
The situation in the Democratic Republic of the Congo is still volatile. So far, authorities have confirmed 1,931 cases of Ebola. Of those, 1,357 patients have died.
Dr. Mike Ryan, executive director of the WHO Health Emergencies Programme said in briefing last week that the outbreak is “not under control.”
