Uganda Reports Two New Ebola Cases, Total Reaches Seven

Ugandan health authorities on Monday reported two new Ebola cases, bringing the total number of infections in the country to seven. All cases are linked to the outbreak in neighboring Congo. The latest infections involve two health workers at a private hospital in Kampala. Officials said both patients have been admitted to a designated treatment unit and are receiving care.

A 59-year-old Congolese man was admitted to a Kampala hospital on May 11 and died three days later before his Ebola infection was identified. Two other Congolese nationals who sought care in Uganda later tested positive. Ugandan authorities confirmed the first local transmissions on Saturday, involving a driver and a health worker exposed to the deceased patient.

The Ministry of Health said the new cases follow those initial infections.

Congo declared the outbreak on May 15, though officials believe it began several days or weeks earlier. Suspected cases there have now surpassed 900, centered in eastern Ituri province. Response efforts have faced attacks on treatment centers and community distrust in a region long affected by armed violence.

Aid groups report shortages of protective equipment, testing kits, and body bags. The Bundibugyo strain responsible for the current outbreak has no approved vaccine or treatment. The World Health Organization has declared the situation a global health emergency and upgraded the risk level from high to very high.

University are testing the ChAdOx1 BDBV viral-vector vaccine, previously used in Covid-19 development. Animal testing is underway, and the World Health Organization told the BBC the candidate could reach clinical trials within two to three months. " — Dr.