Ugandan health authorities confirmed three new cases of Ebola on Saturday, bringing the total number of officially recorded infections in the country since the start of the current epidemic to five.
The Ministry of Health indicated that the new patients include a Ugandan driver who transported the first confirmed case in the country, as well as a healthcare worker who contracted the virus while caring for that person. A Congolese woman is also among the newly detected cases.
This progression of the epidemic is causing increasing concern in Uganda, as authorities seek to prevent further spread of the virus. Health teams are currently continuing contact tracing and medical monitoring of infected individuals.
The first case identified in the country had already triggered a mobilization of health services, particularly in the capital Kampala and in several border areas with the Democratic Republic of Congo, which regularly faces Ebola outbreaks.
The United States and several international partners are also closely monitoring the evolving health situation in East Africa. Washington has indicated it is providing assistance in the face of epidemics affecting Uganda and the DRC.
The Ebola virus causes a frequently fatal disease characterized by severe hemorrhagic fevers. Health authorities are particularly concerned about infections among medical personnel, who are often exposed while caring for patients.
The Ugandan government says it is strengthening control measures in health facilities and at borders to limit the risks of transmission, as the discovery of new cases raises fears of an expansion of the epidemic in the coming days.
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