16 Ebola cases have been reported in Uganda as the outbreak grows

A total of 16 people in Uganda have reportedly contracted the extremely lethal Ebola virus, and an additional 18 people are reportedly unwell.

Since the virus has already claimed the lives of four people, there are growing concerns about a possible outbreak involving a type for which there is now no vaccination.

Currently, the outbreak has reached three districts in central Uganda.

The Ministry of Health issued a statement on Sunday demanding greater vigilance, saying ‘The Ministry of Health Rapid Response Teams remain on the field to list and follow up contacts to the confirmed patients.’

Around the beginning of September, authorities first reported an epidemic in the central Mubende district, which was attributed to the very uncommon Ebola Sudan strain. A 24-year-old male was the first casualty; he passed away earlier this week.

According to Emma Ainebyoona, a spokeswoman for the health ministry, non-essential travel restrictions and a ban on sizable public gatherings have already been implemented in Mubende.

Uganda faced an Ebola Zaire outbreak in 2019. The neighbouring Democratic Republic of the Congo, which was dealing with a significant epidemic in its northeastern region, exported the virus.

Ebola is a hemorrhagic disease that causes severe body aches, headaches, sore throats, vomiting, diarrhoea, and rashes, among other symptoms.

According to the World Health Organization, the fatality rate is normally high and can reach 90 percent in some outbreaks.

The virus, whose natural host is the bat, was first discovered in 1976 in the DRC, formerly known as Zaire. Since then, it has sparked several epidemics in Africa that have claimed the lives of almost 15,000 individuals.