The World Health Organisation, WHO, has confirmed an outbreak of Sudan virus disease in Uganda.
Media Talk Africa reports that the deadly disease is part of the Ebola virus family.
WHO, in a statement at the weekend, stated that health authorities in Kampala confirmed that one patient had died.
The patient was a nurse who had sought treatment at several other medical facilities after developing fever-like symptoms.
In response to the outbreak of the often deadly and infectious haemorrhagic fever, transmitted through contact with bodily fluids and tissue, WHO is mobilising efforts to aid national health authorities in swiftly containing and ending the outbreak.
Staff from WHO country office and senior public health experts are being deployed to support key outbreak response measures.
Additionally, WHO has allocated $1 million from its Contingency Fund for emergencies to accelerate early action. A total of 45 contacts, including health workers and family members, are under close monitoring.
The identification of the case in a densely populated urban area necessitates a rapid and intense response, WHO stressed.
WHO Regional Director for Africa, Dr Matshidiso Moeti, welcomed the quick outbreak declaration, saying the agency was supporting the government and partners “to scale up measures to quickly identify cases, isolate and provide care, curb the spread of the virus, and protect the population.”
He added that “Uganda’s robust expertise in responding to public health emergencies will be crucial in ending this outbreak effectively.”
