Uganda declares Ebola outbreak after nurse is killed in capital Kampala

KAMPALA, UGANDA — Ugandan health officials have confirmed a new outbreak of Sudan Ebola Virus Disease (SUDV) in the capital city, Kampala. The Ministry of Health announced the news after three national reference laboratories returned positive tests.

“Our rapid response teams are fully deployed, contact tracing is underway, and all necessary measures are in place to contain the situation. We assure the public that we are in full control,” stated Dr. Diana Atwine, Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Health, in a press conference.

The index case is a 32-year-old male nurse working at Mulago National Referral Hospital. He initially presented with fever-like symptoms and sought treatment at several facilities, including Mulago National Referral Hospital in Kampala, Saidina Abubakar Islamic Hospital in Matugga, Wakiso District, Mbale Regional Referral Hospital in Mbale City, and from a traditional healer.

Dr. Atwine explained that the patient’s condition deteriorated, involving a five-day history of high fever, chest pain, and breathing difficulties, eventually leading to unexplained bleeding from multiple sites.

He experienced multi-organ failure and passed away at Mulago National Referral Hospital on January 29, 2025. Post-mortem testing confirmed SUDV. Currently, no other healthcare workers or patients at the hospital are exhibiting Ebola symptoms.

This marks the seventh Sudan virus outbreak. The most recent previous outbreak ended on January 11, 2023.

According to a study by Dr. Ambrose Talisuna et al., titled “Sudan Ebola virus (SUDV) outbreak in Uganda, 2022: lessons learnt and future priorities for sub-Saharan Africa,” that outbreak resulted in 164 cases (probable and confirmed) and 55 confirmed deaths. This is the sixth Ebola outbreak reported in Uganda since 2000, when the first case was recorded, leading to a cumulative total of 325 cases and 224 deaths.

The first documented Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) outbreak occurred in 1976 near the Ebola River and was identified as Ebola Zaire. In the same year, a separate outbreak caused by a different strain, SUDV, occurred in Sudan.

Subsequent SUDV outbreaks have all been confined to sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). The deadliest EVD outbreak occurred in West Africa from 2014 to 2016, resulting in approximately 28,600 cases and 11,310 deaths.

Dr. Talisuna et al. highlighted the lack of specific treatments or vaccines for SUDV, unlike the Zaire strain. They emphasized the urgent need to address existing gaps in SUDV outbreak control.

The Sudan virus has a history of varying case fatality rates, ranging from 41% to 100% in previous outbreaks. Of the seven previous outbreaks, four have occurred in Uganda and three in Sudan.

Ministry of health response

The Ministry of Health has taken swift action to contain the outbreak, including:

• Activating the Incident Management Team and deploying Rapid Response Teams to Mbale City and Saidina Abubakar Islamic Hospital in Matugga.
• Initiating contact tracing, with 44 contacts listed so far, comprising 30 healthcare workers and patients from Mulago Hospital, 11 family members of the deceased, and 4 healthcare workers from Saidina Abubakar Islamic Hospital in Matugga.
• Ensuring a safe and dignified burial for the deceased to prevent further spread.
• Preparing to immediately vaccinate all contacts of the deceased against EVD.