#17,092
Uganda's Ebola Sudan - declared 6 weeks ago - continues to spread, with more than a dozen cases reported in the nation's densely populated capital of Kampala. Across the nation, as of 3 days ago, there were 115 confirmed cases and over 50 (confirmed and probable) deaths.
This outbreak - the first appearance of Ebola Sudan in a decade - prompted the US To Begin Targeted Airport Screening Of Travelers From Uganda 3 weeks ago. Unlike the Zaire Ebola strain, there is currently no approved vaccine for Ebola Sudan.
Overnight the WHO has published a new update (see previous update) and risk assessment on the outbreak. I've only posted some excerpts, so follow the link to read it in its entirety.
28 October 2022Description of the outbreak
On 20 September 2022, the health authorities in the Republic of Uganda declared an outbreak of Ebola disease caused by Sudan ebolavirus (SUDV), after a case was confirmed in a village in Madudu sub-county in Mubende district, central Uganda on 19 September.
As of 26 October, a total of 115 confirmed and 21 probable cases, including 32 confirmed and 21 probable deaths (CFR among confirmed cases: 27.8%) have been reported. Overall, 15 cases with four deaths have been reported among healthcare workers.
As of 26 October, 1844 contacts were under surveillance in nine districts of the country. A cumulative total of 3166 contacts have been listed since the start of this outbreak, of which 1194 (37.7%) have completed the follow-up period of 21 days.
A total of 94 safe and dignified burials (SDB) have been undertaken since the beginning of the outbreak, of which 97.9% (n=92) were community burials.
The most affected district is Mubende, which has reported 54.7% (n=63) of all confirmed cases, and in particular Madudu sub-county with 21 confirmed cases reported (18.2% of all confirmed cases). Since the previous week (20 October 2022), two additional districts reported new cases, bringing the total number of affected districts to seven.(SNIP)WHO risk assessment
Uganda has experience in responding to outbreaks of Zaire ebolavirus and Sudan ebolavirus and necessary action has been initiated quickly. The current outbreak is the first outbreak of Sudan ebolavirus in Uganda since 2012. In the absence of licensed vaccines and therapeutics for prevention and treatment of Sudan virus disease, the risk of potential serious public health impact is high.
On 21 September 2022, WHO assessed the risk of this event as high at the national level and low at the regional and global levels. The WHO rapid risk assessment (RRA) will be revised in the coming days based on available and shared information; however, considering the geographical expansion of the SVD outbreak to urban settings, currently the risk can be assessed to be very high at the national level and high at the regional level and remaining low at the global level.
WHO advice
Successful SVD outbreak control relies on applying a package of interventions, including clinical management, surveillance and contact tracing, a good laboratory service, implementation of IPC measures in health care and community settings, safe and dignified burials and community engagement and social mobilization.
Upon identification of a case, early initiation of supportive treatment has been shown to significantly reduce deaths from SVD.
WHO advises against any restrictions on travel and/or trade to Uganda based on available information for the current outbreak.
