On 20 September 2022, Uganda health authorities declared an outbreak of Ebola viral disease, caused by Sudan virus, following laboratory confirmation of a patient from a village in Madudu sub-county, Mubende district, central Uganda.

As of 25 September, the Ministry of Health reports indicated 36 Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) case-patients in Mubende and Kyegegwa districts (18 confirmed, 18 suspected) and 23 cumulative deaths (4 confirmed, 19 probable). 399 contact cases have been identified and 104 under follow-up

Uganda Red Cross, as an auxiliary to the Government of Uganda authorities under the Health and Emergency Services, deployed fast response actions with the following response activities:

1. Ambulance services – 6 ambulances supporting community efforts to evacuate probable cases and refer them to the Ebola treatment centers
2. Risk Communication – Uganda Red Cross has deployed Volunteers to sensitize the Public about Ebola, signs and symptoms, how to avoid Ebola and how to report in case of any suspected cases – Toll-Free Number provided to make communication easy Toll-Free Number : 0800211 088 
3. Contact tracing: URCS Volunteers support the process of contact tracing for cases who get in contact with probable and confirmed cases in the community as part of preventing the spread of the Ebola Viral disease. 
4. Community-based surveillance – URCS has intensified community based surveillance as a way of strengthening community-level preparedness and action for disease prevention and control.
5. Safe and dignified burials: URCS conducts safe and dignified burials for people who die due to Ebola or those who die with signs and symptoms.
6. Community engagement: We engage the community to be vigilant, report any suspected cases and avail our teams to respond to the Public Calls, demystify rumors and guide with appropriate information on the disease.
7. Positioning of PPEs to support response teams at community level and the ambulance operations.

Key facts 

• Ebola virus disease (EVD), formerly known as Ebola haemorrhagic fever, is a rare but severe, often fatal illness in humans.
• The virus is transmitted to people from wild animals and spreads in the human population through human-to-human transmission.
• The average EVD case fatality rate is around 50%. Case fatality rates have varied from 25% to 90% in past outbreaks.
• Community engagement is key to successfully controlling outbreaks.
• Good outbreak control relies on applying a package of interventions, namely case management, infection prevention and control practices, surveillance and contact tracing, a good laboratory service, safe and dignified burials and social mobilisation.
• Vaccines to protect against Ebola have been developed and have been used to help control the spread of Ebola outbreaks in Guinea and in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).
• Early supportive care with rehydration, symptomatic treatment improves survival. Two monoclonal antibodies (Inmazeb and Ebanga) were approved for the treatment of Zaire ebolavirus (Ebolavirus) infection in adults and children by the US Food and Drug Administration in late 2020.
• Pregnant and breastfeeding women with Ebola should be offered early supportive care. Likewise, vaccine prevention and experimental treatment should be offered under the same conditions as for non-pregnant population

You can download the Ebola report from here