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A 50-year-old woman infected with the Ebola virus died in western Uganda, a day after the death of her five-year-old grandson.
These are the first two cases reported in the country since the spread of the virus from the neighboring Democratic Republic of Congo, where nearly 1,400 people died.
Three suspected Ebola patients also fled an isolation center.
The head of a large medical association has called the "last Ebola outbreak in Central Africa" really scary ".
Dr. Jeremy Farrar, director of the Wellcome Trust, said that the epidemic was the worst since that of 2013-2016 and showed "no sign of arrest".
He said the spread was "tragic but unfortunately not surprising". He warned that more cases were expected and that a "comprehensive" response at the national and international levels would be needed to protect lives.
On Friday, the World Health Organization (WHO) will decide whether the epidemic should now be considered a public health emergency.
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The grandmother and grandson reportedly crossed the border into the Democratic Republic of Congo on Sunday, where they are believed to have passed the virus on to an elderly relative, who later died.
The three-year-old brother of the boy who died on Monday – confirmed to have the Ebola virus – and four other members of his household were repatriated to the DRC, the Ugandan Ministry of Health said Thursday.
In Uganda, three people are currently isolated because health officials fear being infected – their condition is confirmed by blood tests.
What is the readiness of Uganda?
Analysis by Patricia Oyella, BBC Africa, Kampala
This is not the first time the virus has hit the country. The outbreaks of 2012, 2007 and 2000 prompted the Ministry of Health to build capacity, said Clinical Director Dr. Charles Olaro.
Public health information campaigns disseminated in high-risk areas have played a key role in preventing the spread of the disease since the first case of Ebola reported last August at the DRC border. Mass rallies, including market days and prayers, have been canceled. Market days in the city of Kasese attract about 20,000 people in the border area.
The Ugandan Ministry of Health and WHO reported that a rapid response team had been sent to identify people at risk. The country has already vaccinated about 4,700 health workers against the disease, according to a joint statement by health officials from the WHO and Uganda. Ebola screening centers are operating along the border with DR Congo, as well as other major entry and exit points.
The authorities have identified 22 high-risk districts – areas close to the border and are very busy – and have deployed medical controllers to detect and manage all detected cases.
An expert database is available to handle different scenarios, the Ministry of Health said. Uganda also benefits from the expertise of health workers deployed to control previous outbreaks in West Africa.
What is the situation in DR Congo?
Nearly 1,400 people have died in the last 10 months, or about 70% of all those infected.
The epidemic is the second largest in the history of the disease, with a sharp rise in the number of new cases in recent weeks.
Only once did the epidemic continue to grow more than eight months after the beginning of the epidemic – it was the epidemic in West Africa between 2013 and 2016, which claimed 11,310 lives. people.
Some have predicted that it could take up to two more years. The WHO has stated twice that this Ebola outbreak is not yet a global emergency. I
Efforts to contain the spread have been hampered by militia violence and suspicion of foreign medical assistance.
Nearly 200 health facilities were attacked in DR Congo this year, forcing health workers to suspend or delay immunizations and treatment. In February, the medical charity Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) suspended its activities in Butembo and Katwa, two cities in the eastern epicenter of the epidemic.
- Disbelief in Ebola is widespread in Congo's hotspots
- The Ebola outbreak is not yet a global emergency
What is Ebola?
- Ebola is a virus that initially causes sudden fever, severe weakness, muscle aches and sore throat.
- It develops into vomiting, diarrhea and internal and external bleeding.
- A person is infected when she has direct contact, through a broken skin, or mouth and nose, with blood, vomit, stool or body fluids. a person with Ebola.
- Patients tend to die from dehydration and organic insufficiency.
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