Ebola in Uganda is under control

“The situation is not getting out of control,” said Dr. Ahmed Oguel, acting director of the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. “We have good visibility of all contacts.”

Oguel said about 98% of the 2,694 documented contacts — people who were exposed to Ebola by a confirmed patient — are under surveillance. “What we know about the evolution of this particular outbreak is very comforting,” he added.

Contact tracing is critical to stopping the spread of infectious diseases like Ebola.

Uganda declared an outbreak of the Sudanese Ebola strain on 20 September. The epicenter is a rural community in the center of the country, about 150 kilometers (93 miles) from the capital, Kampala.

The outbreak has spread to Kampala in recent days after many patients sought medical attention in the capital. Among at least 15 confirmed cases in the city are six children who attend three different schools, the health minister said on Wednesday, raising fears of new infections.

There is no licensed vaccine for the Sudanese strain of Ebola, but two vaccine candidates are expected to be tested in clinical trials that authorities say will begin within days.

The outbreak, which manifested itself as a viral hemorrhagic fever, has so far infected 109 people and killed 30, including four health workers.

Line: News agency

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