Uganda: 9 new cases of Ebola in Kampala, WHO calls for vigilance
Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso (PANA) - As Uganda reported nine new cases of Ebola in the capital, Kampala, bringing the total number of known infections to 14 in the past two days, the World Health Organization (WHO) on Tu0 esday warned of the importance of contact tracing to contain the spread of the disease.
Nine more people in the Kampala metropolitan area tested positive for Ebola on Sunday, plus two more on Friday, Health Minister Jane Ruth Aceng said on her Twitter account on Monday, according to a note posted on the UN website.
In total, Ugandan health authorities have confirmed 75 cases of Ebola since 20 September, including 28 deaths. But these official figures do not include probable cases.
According to a count on 19 October, the WHO reported 60 confirmed and 20 probable cases, with 44 deaths and 25 recoveries.
According to the WHO Africa Regional Office, "the new Ebola cases in Kampala show that contact tracing and other critical areas of the response are improving.
"This is leading to the detection of new cases," the WHO Regional Office for Africa said in a tweet, pledging to support Ugandan health authorities in dealing with the Ebola situation in the capital.
The WHO said there was no proven vaccine against the Sudanese strain of Ebola currently circulating in Uganda. In these circumstances, contact tracing is essential to contain the spread of contagious diseases like Ebola.
It is recalled that Ebola is transmitted through contact with body fluids of an infected person or contaminated materials. Symptoms include fever, vomiting, diarrhoea, muscle pain and sometimes bleeding.
-0- PANA TNDD/JSG/BBA/RA 25Oct2022
