The Independent Uganda: You get the Truth we Pay the Price
KAMPALA | Xinhua & URN | Uganda on Saturday announced the second Ebola death in its capital, Kampala, just days after discharging all Ebola patients whom authorities said had fully recovered following isolation and treatment.
A four-and-a-half-year-old child died from Ebola at Mulago National Referral Hospital in Kampala on Tuesday, Uganda’s Ministry of Health said in a statement issued on Saturday.
“Following the outbreak of Sudan Ebola Virus Disease on Jan. 30, 2025, the Ministry of Health would like to update the general public about an additional positive case in Mulago, a resident of Kibuli linked to the primary cluster. The identified case is a four-and-a-half-year-old child who presented with and died from classical symptoms of Ebola at Mulago Hospital on Tuesday, Feb. 25, 2025,” the statement read.
“As of today (Saturday), a total of 10 cases have been confirmed in Uganda. Unfortunately, the first case, also known as the index case, and the 10th case have succumbed to Ebola,” the statement added.
According to the ministry, on Feb. 18 and 19, eight Ebola survivors were discharged and reintegrated into their communities, where they now live normal lives.
Meanwhile, private health facilities that the index case had visited have since been re-opened after authorities said they had been assessed and confirmed to be safe. One of these hospitals is Sayidina Abubakar hospital in Wattuba, Wakiso district, which had had most of its health workers quarantined.
However, while the Ministry is confirming this boy as the only Ebola death after the index case of the male health worker who was working Mulago hospital, unconfirmed reports show that another two people, the boy’s mother and a baby, had also died under unclear circumstances.
When contacted to verify this, Col. Dr Henry Kyobe, the incident Manager of such health emergencies in the Ministry of Health declined to comment, saying that they would soon release a detailed statement.
The ministry said it continues its “aggressive Ebola response,” including active case searches at all health facilities, contact tracing, exit screening for outbound travelers, and vaccination of all contacts linked to the cases.
The ministry reassured the public that the situation is under control. “The country remains safe for trade, travel and tourism,” the statement said.
Uganda declared an Ebola outbreak on Jan. 30 after a 32-year-old nurse died of the disease in Kampala.
Data from the World Health Organization shows that Uganda’s last Ebola outbreak, which began in September 2022 and ended in January 2023, resulted in 164 cases and 77 deaths.
