Rising Ebola Caseload Spurs Emergency Response in Uganda

Uganda's Ebola cases have increased to 12, with two additional deaths considered probable cases. The WHO reported the death of a four-year-old boy and listed his mother and sibling as probable cases. Uganda faces funding challenges and has launched a trial vaccination program for the Sudan strain of Ebola.

Uganda is grappling with a rising Ebola caseload, climbing to 12 confirmed cases, according to the World Health Organization (WHO) on Wednesday. The tally includes two fatalities regarded as probable cases from early last month. The latest victim, a four-year-old boy, died last week at Mulago, the nation's top referral hospital.

The WHO's weekly bulletin on disease outbreaks identified the mother of the boy and her other child as probable Ebola cases. The mother succumbed on February 6 shortly after childbirth due to an acute illness, with the newborn dying on February 12, although no laboratory tests confirmed Ebola in either case.

Uganda announced in January the presence of the Sudan strain of Ebola, a highly contagious and lethal haemorrhagic fever. Symptoms such as fever, headaches, and muscle pains are commonplace, with transmission through infected bodily fluids and tissues. Amid funding cuts from the U.S., the UN has made an emergency appeal for $11.2 million to combat the outbreak, supporting a new vaccination trial targeting the Sudan strain.

(With inputs from agencies.)