Health officials in Uganda confirmed Monday that two additional people have contracted Ebola, pushing the total number of confirmed infections in the country to seven.
Every case connects to an ongoing outbreak in the neighboring Democratic Republic of Congo, which health authorities believe began days or weeks prior to Congo’s official declaration on May 15.
The initial case involved a 59-year-old man from Congo who was hospitalized in Uganda’s capital city on May 11 and passed away three days afterward, before medical staff realized he had contracted the virus. Two additional Congo citizens who received treatment in Uganda subsequently tested positive for the disease.
Uganda’s health department confirmed Saturday that the virus had spread locally for the first time, infecting a driver and medical worker who had contact with the Congo patient who died May 11. Two additional healthcare workers at a private medical facility in the capital have now tested positive, the health ministry announced Monday.
In Congo, the number of suspected cases has surpassed 900, concentrated primarily in the eastern region of Ituri province where the outbreak originated, officials reported Sunday. Efforts to contain the spread have faced significant obstacles including community fear, anger and frustration that have led to attacks on medical facilities, along with public distrust of government officials in an area that has long experienced armed conflict.
International health authorities have classified the outbreak as a global health emergency. The specific strain of Ebola virus causing this outbreak, known as the Bundibugyo type, currently has no authorized vaccine or treatment available.
