9 more Ebola cases detected in Uganda's capital

By Hamza Kyeyune

KAMPALA, Uganda (AA) – Nine more Ebola cases have been reported in Uganda’s capital Kampala, the health minister said on Monday.

The number of infections detected in the capital in the past two days has now risen to 14, Health Minister Jane Ruth Aceng said on Twitter.

Seven of the patients are family members from Kampala’s Masanafu neighborhood and another is a health worker, while all nine were contacts of a patient who recently died, she said.

“Fellow Ugandans, let’s be vigilant. Report yourself if you have had contact or know of a person who has had contact,” Aceng added.

Uganda declared its latest Ebola outbreak in late September, with officials finding that it has been caused by the virus’ relatively rare Sudan strain, which has no approved vaccine or drug treatment.

A total of 84 cases and 28 deaths have been confirmed to date, according to the latest Health Ministry figures, which do not include suspected infections and fatalities.

Earlier this month, the government imposed movement restrictions in affected districts to contain the spread of the highly contagious hemorrhagic fever.

Ebola spreads through contact with bodily fluids of an infected person or contaminated objects. The disease has a high fatality rate and its symptoms include fever, vomiting, diarrhea, and muscle pain.

Uganda, a landlocked country in East Africa, has experienced several Ebola outbreaks, including one two decades ago that claimed hundreds of lives.