Ugandan health officials declared an outbreak of Ebola this Tuesday (20), after the confirmation of a case in the district of Mubende, in the central region of the country.
The Uganda Virus Research Institute confirmed the case after testing a sample taken from a 24-year-old man. The procedure follows an ongoing investigation by the National Rapid Response Team into six suspicious deaths that occurred in the district this month. Currently, there are eight suspected cases that are receiving care in a health unit.
The infection is caused by a group of six viruses of the Ebolavirus genus, only four of which cause disease in humans: Ebola virus (Zaire ebolavirus), from Sudan, Taï Forest and Bundibugyo. The Ebola Bundibugyo viruses from Sudan and Zaire have caused major outbreaks in the past.
“This is the first time in over a decade that Uganda has recorded an outbreak of Ebola virus from Sudan. We are working closely with national health authorities to investigate the source of this outbreak, while supporting efforts to rapidly implement effective control measures,” said Matshidiso Moeti, World Health Organization (WHO) Regional Director for Africa. , in a statement.
There have been seven previous outbreaks of Sudan’s Ebola virus, with four occurring in Uganda and three in Sudan. Uganda last reported an outbreak of Ebola virus from Sudan in 2012. In 2019, the country recorded an outbreak of Ebola virus from Zaire. The virus was imported from the neighboring Democratic Republic of Congo, which was facing a major epidemic in the northeast region.
The WHO says it offers assistance to Ugandan health authorities for the investigation. Supplies were sent to support patient care and isolation.
According to the WHO, ring vaccination, used to protect people at high risk, with the immunizer Ervebo was highly effective in controlling the spread of Ebola in recent outbreaks in the Democratic Republic of Congo and elsewhere. However, the vaccine was only approved to protect against the Zaire lineage of the virus.
Another vaccine produced by Janssen may be effective, but has not yet been tested specifically against Sudan’s Ebola, according to the WHO.
Ebola is a serious, often fatal, disease that affects humans and other primates. Sudan virus case fatality rates have ranged from 41% to 100% in previous outbreaks. Early initiation of supportive care has been shown to significantly reduce Ebola deaths.
Source: CNN Brasil
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