The ministry of Health has confirmed three new cases of Ebola virus disease, bringing the national total to five.
In a statement on its social media handles, the ministry said the newly confirmed cases include a Ugandan driver who transported the country’s index patient and a health worker who contracted the virus while providing direct care.
“Both are currently receiving treatment,” the statement said.
The ministry noted that a third case involves a Congolese woman who entered Uganda from the Democratic Republic of the Congo, presenting with mild abdominal symptoms.
“She sought treatment at a private hospital in Kampala on May 10, was discharged in apparent good health on 14 May 14, and returned to the DRC,” the statement noted.
This case has unsettled officials because the woman moved freely between cities over a fortnight before her diagnosis was confirmed, a timeline that reveals a meaningful gap in cross-border surveillance.
The current outbreak involves the Bundibugyo strain, one of six known Ebola species, for which no vaccine exists. The DRC, where the outbreak was first detected in Ituri Province in north-eastern Congo, has recorded more than 575 suspected cases and 148 suspected deaths as of May 21.
The World Health Organisation declared the outbreak a public health emergency of international concern on 17 May, citing the virus’s spread into urban centres, deaths among health workers, and the absence of effective countermeasures.
The ministry assured that all contacts linked to confirmed cases are under surveillance and urged the public to report suspected symptoms promptly.
