Cape Town - An Ebola outbreak has been declared in Uganda, after a case of the relatively rare Sudan strain was confirmed in Mubende district in the central part of the country.
The Uganda Virus Research Institute confirmed the case after testing a sample taken from a 24-year-old male.
This follows an investigation by the National Rapid Response team, after six suspicious deaths occurred in the district this month.
There are eight suspected patients who are receiving care in a health facility.
Ebola is a severe, often fatal illness affecting humans and other primates.
It has six different strains, three of which (Bundibugyo, Sudan and Zaire) have previously caused large outbreaks.
Case fatality rates of the Sudan strain have varied from 41% to 100% in past outbreaks.
Early initiation of supportive treatment has been shown to significantly reduce deaths from Ebola.
“This is the first time in more than a decade that Uganda is recording the Ebola Sudan strain. We are working closely with the national health authorities to investigate the source of this outbreak while supporting the efforts to quickly roll out effective control measures,” said World Health Organization (WHO) regional director for Africa, Dr Matshidiso Moeti.
“Uganda is no stranger to effective Ebola control. Thanks to its expertise, action has been taken quickly to detect the virus and we can bank on this knowledge to halt the spread of infections.”
WHO said it was helping Ugandan health authorities and is deploying staff and dispatched supplies to support the care of patients, and is sending a tent that will be used to isolate patients.
Meanwhile, a study titled “The evolving SARS-CoV-2 epidemic in Africa: Insights from rapidly expanding genomic surveillance”, highlighted the early warning capacity that genomic surveillance in Africa has had for the rest of the world with the detection of new variants and how it can help with addressing re-emerging disease threats like Ebola.
The study was led by two labs that set up the network for genomic surveillance in South Africa – The KwaZulu-Natal Research and Innovation Sequencing Platform (Krisp) at the University of KwaZulu-Natal and the Centre for Epidemic Response and Innovation (Ceri) at Stellenbosch University, in close co-ordination with the Africa CDC (Centres for Disease Control and Prevention), WHO AFRO and 300 other institutions across the continent.
“The publication highlights that sustained investment for diagnostics and genomic surveillance in Africa was needed to not only combat SARS-CoV-2 on the continent, but establish a platform to address the emerging, re-emerging, endemic infectious disease threats, such as Ebola, HIV/Aids, TB and Malaria. These investments are crucial for pandemic preparedness and response and will serve the health of the continent well into the 21st century,” said Dr Yenew Kebede, head of the division of laboratory systems and acting head of surveillance and disease intelligence at the Africa CDC.
Cape Times