Ebola death in capital deepens Uganda worries

The first death caused by the Ebola virus in Uganda's capital Kampala adds to the urgency in the country's fight against the deadly disease.

This comes just weeks after the first case in the country was confirmed in Mubende, a district 130 kilometers away from the capital city. Jane Ruth Aceng, Uganda's health minister, said the deceased escaped from Mubende, the epicenter of the outbreak, about a week ago. She added that the man changed his name to avoid being detected.

"This gentleman was a contact who was listed, but ran away to seek treatment from a traditional healer. When it did not work, he looked for means to be brought to Kiruddu hospital in Kampala," Aceng said on Tuesday.

Uganda's health ministry said confirmed cases had increased to 54, while confirmed deaths had risen to 19 as of Tuesday. Up to 20 people have recovered from the deadly disease.

On Sunday, the World Health Organization reached out to Uganda's health ministry about plans to send its senior leadership to support the Ebola response and prevent cross-border spread.

Yonas Tegegn Woldemariam, the WHO's country representative in Uganda, said senior leaders include WHO executive director Michael Ryan and three other leaders from the WHO Africa regional office.

"The main objective of their visit is to attend the high-level emergency ministerial meeting on Cross Border Collaboration for Preparedness and Response to Ebola Virus Disease scheduled on Oct 12, 2022," Woldemariam said in the letter.

He added that the WHO team is looking forward to having discussions on Ebola response support needed by Uganda from the WHO regional office.

However, the WHO has asked Uganda to focus on community mobilization and prevention of the virus, warning that waiting for the vaccine could slow down the fight to end the epidemic.

Community response

"Let us focus on the community response. These candidate vaccines for the Ebola Sudan strain are studies, they are not the solution. These are studies which could give us the solution, but the bigger solution is community mobilization and the public health measures," Woldemariam said.

Henry Mwebesa, director-general of health services at the Ugandan health ministry, said discussions are ongoing on whether an approved vaccine for the Ebola Zaire strain can be used.

Uganda's neighboring countries have issued health alerts and stepped up measures to prevent cross-border transmissions. This includes stepping up surveillance for detection and preparedness for appropriate response.

The Ebola virus kills between 25 and 90 percent of infected persons, according to the WHO.