Latest news with #Atwine
Voice of America
31-01-2025
- Health
- Voice of America
Uganda health officials warn of Ebola outbreak
A day after Uganda's Ministry of Health announced a new Ebola outbreak in the capital, Kampala, most Ugandans appeared unaware or unconcerned about the outbreak and went about their business normally. But health authorities are warning Ugandans not to take Ebola lightly. For weeks, Uganda has battled an outbreak of mpox, also known as monkeypox, that has affected more than 2,000 people and caused 13 deaths, according to the World Health Organization. But Dr. Julius Lutwama, deputy director of the Uganda Virus Research Institute, said Ugandans need to worry more about Ebola than mpox. "Ebola is more highly infectious even than monkeypox," Lutwama said. "And it is even a more severe infection than monkeypox. The percentage of people that end up dead from Ebola is up to 80% while for monkeypox it is below 5%." Ebola killed more than 50 people in Uganda during the 2022 outbreak. Nurse dies of Ebola On Thursday, Dr. Diana Atwine, Uganda's permanent secretary in the Ministry of Health, announced the new outbreak after a 32-year-old nurse died from the disease. Atwine said the nurse sought treatment at multiple health facilities including Mulago National Referral Hospital and from a traditional healer. The patient suffered with high fever, chest pain and difficulty breathing since Jan. 20, then unexplained bleeding and multiple organ failure before dying Wednesday. Atwine said the nurse died from the Sudan strain of Ebola. 'We will leave it to God' While the Ministry of Health is cautioning the public with reminders of the symptoms of Ebola, several Kampala residents who spoke to VOA said they had not heard about or were not worried about the outbreak. Kampala resident Ntale Steven said he is not going to shut down his business. "We will leave it to God, so the disease doesn't spread," he said. "And if there's an outbreak, we should get treatment and be helped. Health workers should also care for whoever gets infected. Because we have nothing to do, we must move." Health authorities have moved to quarantine those who had contact with the deceased Ebola victim. Out of the 44 people in isolation, 30 are health workers from the National Referral Hospital. The rest are family members and health workers from other private facilities. Lutwama said because it takes days before symptoms start to show, this is when most infected persons transmit the disease to others, placing health workers at a higher risk. "Many people then can transmit it during that period, before they come to that stage of bleeding," said Lutwama. "But still the health workers are supposed to be on the lookout. And they are also supposed to be protected, but as you know, sometimes our hospitals are missing a few things like gloves, they don't have hypochlorite like Jik [bleach] to be able to wash their hands thoroughly and things like that." Even with warnings from Lutwama and the Ministry of Health, Ogwang John, a security guard, said he will take precautions only if he gets an order from his boss. "Me, I'm not worried," he said. "I always go with the decision of my boss. When he says that we do this, the disease is there, yes, we can take. But if he has not talked with me, I'm also a carefree man." The Ministry of Health said it will continue tracing contacts and monitoring those under isolation as they await more support from the World Health Organization's contingency fund for emergencies.
Euronews
31-01-2025
- Health
- Euronews
Ebola: Nurse in Uganda dies in country's first outbreak in two years
A nurse in Uganda has died of Ebola, a health official said on Thursday, marking the first recorded death in the country from the severe illness in two years. The 32-year-old male nurse was an employee of Mulago Hospital, the main referral facility in the capital, Kampala, according to Diana Atwine, permanent secretary of the health ministry. Atwine added in a social media post that the "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," she wrote, while urging Ugandans to report any suspected cases. After developing a fever, the nurse was treated at several locations in Uganda before multiple lab tests confirmed he had been suffering from Ebola. The man died on Wednesday and the Sudan strain of Ebola was confirmed following postmortem tests, Atwine said. At least 44 contacts of the victim have been identified, including 30 health workers and patients at Mulago Hospital, according to Uganda's Ministry of Health. Tracing contacts is key to stemming the spread of Ebola, and there are no approved vaccines for the Sudan strain of Ebola. Uganda's last outbreak, discovered in September 2022, killed at least 55 people before it was declared over in January 2023. Outbreaks of viral haemorrhagic fevers Confirmation of Ebola in Uganda is the latest in a trend of outbreaks of viral haemorrhagic fevers in the east African region. Tanzania declared an outbreak of the Ebola-like Marburg disease earlier this month, and in December Rwanda announced that its own outbreak of Marburg was over. The World Health Organization (WHO) will send an initial allocation of $1 million (€957,000) from a contingency fund to support Uganda's response, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the WHO director-general, said in a brief statement posted on the social platform X. "A full scale response is being initiated by the government and partners," the statement said. Kampala's outbreak could prove difficult to respond to because the city has a highly mobile population of about 4 million. Ebola, which is spread by contact with bodily fluids of an infected person or contaminated materials, manifests as a deadly haemorrhagic fever. Symptoms include fever, vomiting, diarrhoea, muscle pain and at times internal and external bleeding. Scientists don't know the natural reservoir of Ebola, but they suspect the first person infected in an outbreak acquired the virus through contact with an infected animal or eating its raw meat. Ugandan officials are still investigating the source of the current outbreak.
Russia Today
31-01-2025
- Health
- Russia Today
Deadly Ebola virus spreads in African state
Uganda has confirmed an Ebola outbreak in its capital Kampala after a 32-year-old man succumbed to the virus, health officials said Thursday. According to Diana Atwine, the ministry's permanent secretary, the patient succumbed to the illness on Wednesday at Mulago National Referral Hospital after experiencing multiple-organ failure. A post-mortem examination confirmed that he had been infected with the Sudan Ebola Virus Disease (SUDV), a strain responsible for previous outbreaks in the country. Authorities are tracing at least 44 contacts, including 30 health workers, as they work to contain the spread. However, tracking all contacts may be challenging, as Kampala is a major travel hub, connecting Uganda to South Sudan, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and Rwanda. Ebola is a highly contagious hemorrhagic fever transmitted through contact with infected bodily fluids and tissues. Symptoms include fever, fatigue, muscle pain, headache, sore throat, vomiting, diarrhea, rash, and internal or external bleeding. READ MORE: Tanzania confirms deadly virus case 'Bleeding manifestations usually appear in later stages, after the above symptoms,' Atwine said. On Friday, Russia's human welfare watchdog, Rospotrebnadzor, stated that it is ready to assist Kampala. 'Rospotrebnadzor is in contact with its Ugandan colleagues and has sent proposals to assist in conducting an epidemiological investigation and anti-epidemic measures,' the statement said. Earlier in 2024, in order to enhance Kampala's laboratory capacity, Russia delivered a mobile laboratory to Kampala, enabling the rapid laboratory diagnosis of dangerous infectious diseases, the press service clarified. This marks Uganda's first confirmed Ebola fatality since 2023. The country's last major outbreak occurred in September 2022, originating in Mubende district, and was officially declared over after four months. That outbreak was also caused by the Sudan Ebola virus strain. READ MORE: From Leopold to lithium: How corporations perfected the art of plundering Africa The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that, on average, the virus claims the lives of five out of every ten infected individuals, though previous outbreaks have seen fatality rates fluctuate between 25% and 90%, depending on response efforts and medical intervention. Earlier in January, neighboring Tanzania confirmed an outbreak of the deadly Marburg virus in its northwest Kagera region. Uganda recorded three fatalities in 2017 due to this disease.
Voice of America
31-01-2025
- Health
- Voice of America
Ugandan nurse dies of Ebola
A male nurse in Uganda has died of Ebola, the first recorded death by the disease in the East African country since an outbreak ended in 2023, health officials said. The 32-year-old nurse worked at Mulago National Specialised Hospital in Kampala, Diana Atwine, permanent secretary of Uganda's health ministry, said Thursday. The nurse died Wednesday of the Sudan strain of Ebola, Atwine said. He sought treatment at several hospitals and had also consulted with a traditional healer before tests confirmed an Ebola diagnosis, health officials said. World Health Organization Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus posted on X that his organization was supporting Uganda's efforts to contain an Ebola outbreak in Uganda with a $1 million allocation from WHO's Contingency Fund for Emergencies. Atwine said on her X social media account that '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.' Contact tracing, however, could be challenging in Kampala, with its population of 4 million people. The health ministry, however, reported that it had identified 44 contacts of the late nurse, which included 30 other health care workers. The symptoms of Ebola, an often fatal disease, include fever, vomiting, diarrhea, muscle pain, and at times internal and external bleeding. According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, health care workers and family members caring for someone with Ebola are at high risk for contracting the disease. WHO said Ebola 'is transmitted to people from wild animals (such as fruit bats, porcupines and non-human primates) and then spreads in the human population through direct contact with the blood, secretions, organs or other bodily fluids of infected people, and with surfaces and materials (e.g., bedding, clothing) contaminated with these fluids.' Ebola's fatality rate is around 50%, WHO said on its website, but it also said that fatality rates have varied from 25% to 90% in some outbreaks.
Los Angeles Times
30-01-2025
- Health
- Los Angeles Times
Hospital nurse in Uganda dies in country's first Ebola outbreak in 2 years
KAMPALA, Uganda — A nurse in Uganda has died of Ebola in the first recorded fatality since the country's last outbreak of the disease ended in early 2023, a health official said. The 32-year-old man was an employee of Mulago Hospital, the main referral facility in the capital, Kampala, Diana Atwine, permanent secretary of the health ministry, told reporters Thursday. After developing a fever, he was treated at several locations in Uganda before multiple lab tests confirmed he had been suffering from Ebola. The man died on Wednesday and the Sudan strain of Ebola was confirmed following postmortem tests, Atwine said. At least 44 contacts of the victim have been identified, including 30 health workers and patients at Mulago Hospital, according to Uganda's Ministry of Health. The health authorities are 'in full control of the situation,' Atwine said, while also urging Ugandans to report any suspected cases. Tracing contacts is key to stemming the spread of Ebola, and there are no approved vaccines for the Sudan strain of Ebola. Uganda's last outbreak, discovered in September 2022, killed at least 55 people before it was declared over in January 2023. Confirmation of Ebola in Uganda is the latest in a trend of outbreaks of viral hemorrhagic fevers in east Africa. Tanzania declared an outbreak of the Ebola-like Marburg disease this month; in December, Rwanda announced that its outbreak of Marburg was over. The World Health Organization will send an initial allocation of $1 million from a contingency fund to support Uganda's response, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the WHO director-general, said in a brief statement posted on the social platform X. 'A full scale response is being initiated by the government and partners,' the statement said. Kampala's outbreak could prove difficult to respond to, because the city has a highly mobile population of about 4 million. The nurse who died had sought treatment at a hospital just outside Kampala and later traveled to Mbale, in the country's east, where he was admitted in a public hospital. Health authorities said the man also sought the services of a traditional healer. Emmanuel Batiibwe, a physician who helped lead Uganda's efforts to stop the country's 2022 outbreak, told the Associated Press that he expected a swift response in tracing all possible Ebola contacts in Kampala and elsewhere. 'Our reaction should be swift, decisive and well-coordinated,' he said, speaking of lessons learned from the 2022 outbreak, whose epicenter was a town in central Uganda. 'We have the means of responding quickly now.' Ebola, which is spread by contact with bodily fluids of an infected person or contaminated materials, manifests as a deadly hemorrhagic fever. Symptoms include fever, vomiting, diarrhea, muscle pain and at times internal and external bleeding. Scientists don't know the natural reservoir of Ebola, but they suspect the first person infected in an outbreak acquired the virus through contact with an infected animal or eating its raw meat. Ugandan officials are investigating the source of the current outbreak. Uganda has had multiple Ebola outbreaks, including one in 2000 that killed hundreds. The 2014 to 2016 Ebola outbreak in West Africa killed more than 11,000 people, the disease's largest death toll. Ebola was discovered in 1976 in two simultaneous outbreaks in South Sudan and Congo, where it occurred in a village near the Ebola River, after which the disease is named. Muhumuza writes for the Associated Press.
