Uganda: More Ebola cases reported in Kampala

The Uganda Ministry of Health reported today that two additional Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) cases were confirmed in the capital city of Kampala.

Both cases of Congolese nationals, one is a known contact of a previously confirmed case.

This brings the total EVD cases in Uganda to nine, and one fatality.

In addition, this week, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) issued a travel notice (Level 2 – Practice Enhanced Precautions) for Uganda due to an outbreak of Bundibugyo virus disease (BVD).

Bundibugyo virus disease (BVD) is a rare and deadly illness that has caused outbreaks in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Uganda in the past.

BVD is spread by contact with the blood or body fluids of a person who is infected with or has died from BVD. It is also spread by contact with contaminated objects (such as clothing, bedding, needles, and medical equipment), or by contact with infected animals, such as bats and nonhuman primates.

Symptoms include fever, headache, muscle pain, weakness, diarrhea, vomiting, stomach pain, and unexplained bleeding or bruising (a late stage of illness).

There are no vaccines or specific treatments approved to prevent or treat BVD. Early supportive care improves the chance of survival.