ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia (AFP) — The Ebola outbreak in Uganda is “under control,” the African Union’s health agency said Thursday, praising its contact-tracing efforts.
The World Health Organization (WHO) has declared an international health emergency over the outbreak in neighboring Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), which has caused 635 confirmed infections, including 127 deaths, since it was announced on 15 May.
Uganda has recorded 19 cases, including two deaths, in nearly a month — almost all from Congolese nationals who crossed the border.
“The outbreak is really under control in Uganda,” said Jean Kaseya, head of the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
“Uganda is doing a great job,” Kaseya said, adding that Kampala has identified 792 contacts, who are “under active follow-up.”
During a visit to Uganda on Monday, WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus praised Kampala’s strategy, pointing in particular to a “case fatality rate... of less than one percent.”
The Africa CDC says each confirmed case should lead to the identification of at least 40 contacts.
The DRC has traced fewer than 5,000 contacts linked to its cases, while the number should be nearer 24,000, Kaseya said, adding: “If we don’t follow up, it means there is a huge risk of transmission.”
The outbreak’s epicenter is in the DRC’s eastern province of Ituri, where poor roads and insecurity fuelled by armed groups severely hamper access.
There is no vaccine or specific treatment for the Bundibugyo strain of the virus, which is behind the current outbreak.
Kaseya again urged a ceasefire in eastern DRC to prevent further spread, noting: “This outbreak doesn’t know who is rebel, who’s not rebel.”
Ebola is transmitted through close contact and bodily fluids, and has killed more than 15,000 people in Africa over the past 50 years.