Ebola Outbreak in Uganda: Second Death Reported

A four-year-old child has died from the Ebola virus in Uganda, marking the second confirmed fatality in the recent outbreak, as per Al Jazeera.

The World Health Organization (WHO) reported the case on Saturday night, stating that Uganda’s Ministry of Health had confirmed a positive Ebola case at Mulago Hospital, the country’s primary referral center for the virus. The child had passed away on Tuesday.

Uganda confirmed 10 cases of a new strain of the virus on Tuesday. The first fatality was a male nurse who died before the outbreak was officially declared on January 30. In February, the Health Ministry announced that all eight Ebola patients under care had been discharged, although at least 265 contacts remained under quarantine in Kampala.

This is the sixth Ebola outbreak recorded in Uganda. The current outbreak is attributed to the Sudan Ebola strain, for which there is currently no approved vaccine.

The 2014-2016 Ebola outbreak in West Africa resulted in over 11,000 deaths, making it the deadliest Ebola outbreak in history. The virus is transmitted through contact with infected bodily fluids and tissues. Symptoms include fever, vomiting, and muscle pain.