Ebola outbreak declared again: Should you be worried?

There is an outbreak of the deadly Ebola virus in Uganda. The East African country made the announcement on September 21 after recent deaths were linked to the virus, according to CNN. This is the 7th episode of the outbreak that the country is witnessing. Health officials say, the country is well-prepared to contain the disease.

Latest outbreak

The first case of the disease to be confirmed was with a 24-year-old man who started showing symptoms of Ebola on September 11 in the Mubende district. Laboratory tests confirmed it was indeed Ebola after a week. The gentleman reportedly died shortly after.

He was found to have had the Sudan strain of Ebola which is generally less severe than the Zaire strain that broke out in the Democratic Republic of Congo and parts of Uganda in 2018, according to an article published in The Conversation. As of September 23, 11 cases had been confirmed.

Dr Matshidiso Moeti, World Health Organization Regional Director for Africa, said that the UN agency was working closely with Ugandan authorities to investigate the source.

Uganda is no stranger to effective Ebola control. Thanks to its expertise, action has been taken to quickly to detect the virus and we can bank on this knowledge to halt the spread of infections.

Should you be concerned?

The Ebola virus is highly infectious. The main mode of transmission is through contact with body fluid of infected persons. Writing for The Conversation, Abdhalah Ziraba, a public health researcher at African Population and Health Research Center, said the next days and weeks are crucial to determine the level of public health risk.

The risk to the public is real as the first documented case could have exposed family members and also members of the public in close contact. The next few days are critical to identify any secondary cases and their potential contacts.

However, according to the NHS, people who at the highest risk of getting infected are those who care for infected people, such as aid workers, or those who handle their blood or body fluid, such as hospital workers, laboratory workers and family members.

Also, for most people visiting Uganda, the risk of exposure to the Ebola virus is minimal.

Sources Used:

NHS:Ebola Virus Disease

CNN:11 Dead in Suspected and Confirmed Cases of Ebola in Uganda

The Conversation: Ebola outbreak in Uganda: the health system has never been better prepared

UN News:Rare Ebola Outbreak declared in Uganda

Read more:

⋙ Lassa fever: Two cases of Ebola-like virus that causes vaginal bleeding has been detected

⋙ Marburg virus: First case of deadly Ebola-like virus has been detected

⋙ What to know about new Covid-like virus detected in Russian bats