Uganda confirms two new Ebola cases, total reaches seven

Uganda's Ministry of Health reported on Monday the detection of two additional confirmed cases of Ebola, raising the total number of infections in the current outbreak to seven. Both new cases involve health workers at a private medical facility located in the capital city, Kampala. The individuals are Ugandan nationals.

These latest infections follow the announcement on Saturday of three confirmed cases, which had brought the total to five. The earlier cases included a driver who transported the first confirmed patient, a health worker exposed during that patient's treatment, and a Congolese woman who later tested positive after traveling back to the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Health authorities are diligently monitoring all identified contacts to trace and contain the transmission chains. Infection control measures within health facilities have been significantly strengthened in response to the growing number of cases. The outbreak is associated with the rare Bundibugyo strain of the Ebola virus.

The World Health Organization has declared the outbreak a public health emergency of international concern. The WHO has also warned that the risk of a national epidemic in the Democratic Republic of Congo remains "very high." The organization noted that delayed detection, the absence of a specific vaccine or treatment for the Bundibugyo strain, widespread armed violence, and high population mobility contribute to Congo's vulnerability. WHO Africa director Mohamed Yakub Janabi cautioned against underestimating the outbreak, calling it a "big mistake" particularly given the strain involved.

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it would be a “big mistake” to do so, particularly given the Bundibugyo strain for which there is no vaccine.