KAMPALA, Uganda — A 4-year-old child has become the second individual to succumb to Ebola in Uganda, according to the World Health Organization. The latest fatality represents a setback for health officials who were optimistic about quickly ending the outbreak that began earlier in the year.
The child was receiving care at Kampala’s main referral hospital before passing away on Tuesday, as indicated in a WHO statement released in Uganda. Health officials from WHO and other organizations are actively working to enhance efforts in surveillance and tracking those who have been in contact with confirmed cases.
Details surrounding the child’s death remain sparse as local health officials are withholding comments. This development complicates earlier statements made by Ugandan authorities who had suggested that the outbreak was under control, particularly after discharging eight patients earlier in February. The outbreak’s first victim, a male nurse, passed away just before the outbreak was officially recognized on January 30. His journey included various medical facilities and a traditional healer in a bid to identify his illness before he ultimately died in Kampala.
The successful recovery of eight contacts, including family members of the initial victim, had previously given health officials hope that the outbreak would soon conclude. Nevertheless, investigations continue regarding the sourcelessness of the outbreak.
Key to halting Ebola’s spread is the contact tracing process. Currently, there are no approved vaccines for the specific Sudan strain present in Uganda. Over 20,000 travelers undergo daily screenings at various Ugandan border points with WHO’s support.
The organization has pledged at least $3 million to bolster Uganda’s Ebola response efforts. However, financial concerns loom following the U.S. decision to cut 60% of USAID’s international aid agreements.
Dithan Kiragga, Executive Director of the Baylor College of Medicine Children’s Foundation, reported on Friday that his NGO ceased its collaboration with local health authorities in passenger screenings due to the USAID contract termination. This contract, a five-year agreement initiated in 2022, valued at $27 million and employed 85 full-time staff in different public health operations.
Dr. Charles Olaro, leading the health services at Uganda’s Ministry of Health, noted that the reduction in U.S. aid has impacted the operational capabilities of non-government organizations handling infectious disease responses. “There are challenges, but we need to adjust to the new reality,” Olaro stated.
Ebola spreads through direct contact with bodily fluids from an infected person or contaminated items, presenting a lethal hemorrhagic fever. Symptoms include fever, vomiting, diarrhea, muscle aches, and, in severe cases, internal and external bleeding.
The virus is commonly contracted by initial victims through interaction with an infected animal or by consuming its raw meat. Uganda’s previous Ebola outbreak, recorded in September 2022, led to at least 55 deaths before being declared concluded in January 2023.
Currently, East Africa is witnessing a rise in viral hemorrhagic outbreaks. Tanzania declared an outbreak of Marburg, a virus similar to Ebola, in January, as Rwanda did in December.
Ebola is not new to Uganda, which experienced a significant outbreak in 2000 that claimed hundreds of lives. The 2014-16 outbreak in West Africa resulted in over 11,000 fatalities, marking it as the deadliest in history. Ebola was initially identified in 1976 in concurrent outbreaks in South Sudan and Congo, where a village near the Ebola River lent the disease its name.
