CHAIRMAN: DR. KHALID BIN THANI AL THANI
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF: DR. KHALID MUBARAK AL-SHAFI

World / Africa

Ebola deaths double with outbreak spreading in Central Uganda

Published: 26 Sep 2022 - 11:35 am | Last Updated: 26 Sep 2022 - 11:38 am
Reuters file photo

Reuters file photo

Bloomberg

An outbreak of Ebola in Uganda spread to two new districts as the death toll doubled from Friday.

Two new districts reported cases of the Ebola-Sudan strain of the viral hemorrhagic illness after it was first detected in the central Mubende district on Sept. 20.

At least 34 people have contracted the disease and 21 have died, the Kampala-based Ministry of Health said on Twitter late Sunday.

The World Health Organization dispatched a team to the East African country to help respond to the outbreak. While there isn’t a cure for the disease, early detection of cases and treatment of symptoms greatly increases chances of survival, according to the WHO.

A vaccine that is highly effective against the Ebola-Zaire strain doesn’t provide cross protection against the Ebola-Sudan strain, the WHO said.