Ebola in Uganda: Minor girl dead just weeks after country declared 'safe' to travel

Officials say a 9-year-old Congolese child who tested positive for Ebola in neighboring Uganda has died. Dr Eddy Kasenda, the Ebola representative in the Congolese border town of Kasindi, said the victim will be repatriated to Congo Friday.

A Ugandan official at the hospital where the girl had been in isolation confirmed her death overnight. He spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to reporters.

The girl, who was traveling with her mother, was identified at a border screening Wednesday as a possible Ebola patient and isolated. Ugandan authorities believe she didn't have contact with any Ugandan.

In June, two people who had traveled from Congo died in Uganda while a third who was part of the same visiting family died after he was sent back home. Uganda has previously suffered multiple outbreaks of Ebola but fatalities have been kept low in part because of quick diagnoses and a rapid response mechanism.

The country was declared "safe" to travel by the World Health Organization (WHO) and Uganda's health ministry in late-July.

Ebola has killed nearly 2,000 people in eastern Congo since August 2018. Although the highly infectious disease has proved stubborn to contain inside Congo, cross-border contamination has been rare.

(With inputs from agencies)