One dead as Uganda health ministry confirms Ebola outbreak

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Uganda’s health ministry said Friday it had confirmed an outbreak of the highly infectious Ebola virus, and that a man had died from the disease after travelling from the Democratic Republic of Congo.

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A major outbreak of the virus was declared in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, which neighbours Uganda, with 65 suspected deaths.

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“The Ministry of Health has today confirmed (an) Ebola Bundibugyo Virus Disease outbreak,” Ugandan authorities said in a statement, adding that a 59-year-old man had died at Kibuli Muslim Hospital in the capital, Kampala.

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The Congolese man was admitted to the hospital on May 11 and died three days later. His body was repatriated.

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After DRC reported the outbreak, Ugandan authorities tested a sample taken from the deceased during his care, the statement said, and confirmed he had the Bundibugyo strain of Ebola.

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“This is an imported case from DRC. The country has not yet confirmed a local case,” the ministry said, adding that it had deployed extensive screening, surveillance, and rapid response protocols.

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AFP

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