Ekeomah Atuonwu
Following the diagnosis of 54 Ebola cases last month, the Ugandan government declared an outbreak of the disease.
Since September 20, at least 19 people have passed away, including four healthcare professionals. Last week, the first instance in Kampala, the city’s capital, was noted.
According to the Africa Centre for Disease Control and Prevention, Ugandan officials have recorded more than 1,100 contacts of confirmed Ebola patients. The 45 million-person nation is currently dealing with the Sudan type of Ebola, for which there is currently no effective vaccine.
Without identifying the vaccinations, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the director-general of the World Health Organization (WHO), stated last week that clinical trials for two vaccines might start in the coming weeks subject to Ugandan government permission.
According to the WHO, there are at least six vaccines being developed for the Sudan strain, three of which have advanced to phase-one clinical trials.
Ebola is transmitted through coming in contact with an infected person’s bodily fluids or contaminated objects, and it appears as a viral hemorrhagic fever. Fever, vomiting, diarrhea, muscle discomfort, and occasionally internal and external bleeding are among the symptoms.
The earliest outbreaks of Ebola, which is named after the Ebola River, occurred in a village close to that river in South Sudan and the Democratic Republic of the Congo in 1976.
