WHO deploys emergency team to help Uganda fight new Ebola outbreak

The World Health Organization (WHO) said on Thursday that it has deployed an emergency medical team to help Uganda fight a deadly Ebola outbreak that killed a health worker in Kampala, the Ugandan capital.

The personnel will provide technical and logistical support to Uganda's Ministry of Health, said the WHO in a statement issued here.

The ministry on Thursday declared an Ebola outbreak after a 32-year-old male nurse working at Mulago National Referral Hospital in Kampala succumbed to Sudan Ebola virus Wednesday, marking the eighth outbreak of the deadly disease in the East African country.

The WHO said it is "working closely with Ugandan health authorities to revitalize a robust surveillance and case management system, community mobilization, and risk communication in response to the outbreak."

The confirmed case, designated as the index case who initially developed fever-like symptoms, sought treatment at multiple health facilities, including Mulago, as well as from a traditional healer, according to health authorities.

A total of 45 contacts have been listed and isolated, including 30 health workers and patients from Mulago Hospital, 11 family members of the deceased, and four health workers of Saidina Abubakar Islamic Hospital in Matugga, according to Diana Atwine, permanent secretary in the Ministry of Health.

"The vaccination of all contacts of the deceased against Ebola virus disease is set to commence immediately. The available doses of the Ebola vaccine are prioritized for contacts and health workers," Atwine told the press Thursday in Kampala.

The Ebola virus is highly contagious and causes various symptoms, including fever, vomiting, diarrhea, generalized pain or malaise, and, in many cases, internal and external bleeding.

According to the WHO, the fatality rate for those who contract Ebola ranges from 50 percent to 89 percent, depending on the viral subtype.