UPDATE 1-Uganda confirms first Ebola case during current outbreak, a Congolese child - WHO

Uganda has confirmed its first case of Ebola during the current outbreak, a five-year-old Congolese child who is receiving care after arriving on Sunday from the Democratic Republic of Congo, the World Health Organization (WHO) said on Tuesday. "This is the first confirmed case in Uganda during the Ebola outbreak on-going in neighbouring Democratic Republic of the Congo," WHO said in a statement. The affected child, travelling with his family, had entered Uganda on June 9 through Bwera Border post. They sought medical care at Kagando hospital and the child was transferred to Bwera Ebola Treatment Unit for management, WHO said.

"The confirmation was made today by the Uganda Virus Institute (UVRI) ... Contacts are being monitored," WHO said. Since the epidemic began in August in eastern Congo, the Congo health ministry said on Monday that it had recorded 2,062 cases including 1,390 deaths.

Uganda has suffered regular outbreaks of Ebola and Marburg over the years, both high-fatality viral haemorrhagic fevers, and health facilities to treat the diseases are relatively robust for the region.