13 people quarantined in Uganda after contact with a suspected Ebola corpse

Ugandan authorities on Tuesday quarantined 13 people who had collected an alleged body of Ebola death in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) while hemorrhagic fever tests were being conducted.

The Ministry of Health and the World Health Organization (WHO), in a joint statement, revealed it in Kampala.

According to the statement, the 13 family members traveled to the Bunia hospital in the DRC to repatriate the body of the 46-year-old man, who will be buried in the eastern district of Tororo.

"Their information has been collected and these people are currently separated from the rest of the community," the statement said.

According to the statement, the deceased was admitted for the first time to the Bunia Hospital in November 2018 after complaining of chest pain and coughing, sometimes with blood.

His condition deteriorated last week and died Friday.

"The dead man has been living and working in the DRC for eight years.

He developed symptoms similar to those of the Ebola virus and died Friday, "the statement said.

"His death certificate from the hospital indicates that the cause of death is heart failure and pulmonary tuberculosis," the statement said.

According to the statement, the Ministry of Health has sent a burial team that will take place later today.

The statement said there is no confirmed case of Ebola in Uganda.

"Active case finding is continuing in all communities, health facilities and at formal and informal border crossings in all districts, especially in high-risk areas," the statement said.

Uganda is on Ebola alert while parts of eastern DRC are facing an epidemic of deadly haemorrhagic fever.

The highly contagious Ebola virus causes a range of symptoms, including fever, vomiting, diarrhea, generalized pain or discomfort and, in many cases, internal and external bleeding, according to the WHO.

Death rates for Ebola, according to the World Health Organization, are extremely high, with case fatality rates in humans ranging from 50% to 89%, depending on the virus subtype.

(Xinhua / NAN)