Situation Report: Controlling the Ebola Outbreak in Uganda
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Ebola Cases Abate in Uganda
On November 28, 2022, the Ministry of Health in Uganda reported its first new case of Sudan ebolavirus in 11 days, a 28-week male stillborn to an Ebola survivor from the Kassanda district. That brings the total to 142 confirmed (Uganda Ministry of Health, https://www.health.go.ug/ebola/, accessed 12/1/2022) and more than 20 probable cases, with 56 laboratory-confirmed deaths. Among the confirmed cases, this would indicate a case fatality rate of at least 39 percent, although the actual rate is likely closer to 50 percent.
Two of the nine districts in Uganda affected by the current outbreak have not reported new cases for more than six weeks—twice as long as the incubation period for the virus—and the weekly number of confirmed cases reported has decreased for the third consecutive week. The remaining districts are still performing follow up with contacts of confirmed cases. And on November 26, the Ugandan government extended travel restrictions (U.S. Embassy in Uganda, Accessed 2025, https://ug.usembassy.gov/extension-of-ebola-virus-related-travel-restrictions-in-ugandas-mubende-kassanda-regions-november-28-2022/) in Mubende and Kassanda districts until December 17 in an effort to keep the outbreak under control.
Ebola Vaccine Trials to Begin Soon
The World Health Organization has recommended that three Sudan ebolavirus vaccine candidates be included in planned ring vaccination trials in Uganda this month. Uganda’s Ministry of Health agreed with the recommendation and trials will begin as soon as the first vaccine arrives in country. Target participants for the trial will be people at highest risk of infection due to the nature of their work and close contact with infected people, including health care workers.
Health Care Worker Risks
To date, there have been 19 confirmed cases with 7 deaths among health care workers in Uganda, accounting for 13.4 percent of cases and 12.7 percent of deaths. Throughout the current outbreak there have been concerns over access to personal protective equipment and lack of adequate pay for health care workers. As a result, more than one thousand health care workers in several affected regions of Uganda have planned a strike on December 2. Multiple international teams, including several from the United States, remain on the ground to assist with outbreak response.
While data would suggest the outbreak appears to be leveling off, it is essential that health care workers in the United States maintain an adequate level of alertness for the prompt identification of any suspect cases. NETEC has a number of resources to help health care workers prepare for a possible case of Ebola or any high consequence infectious disease.
