Second Ebola patient dies in Uganda - health ministry official

A Congolese woman has become the second patient in Uganda to die of the deadly Ebola virus in the latest outbreak of the disease, a health ministry official said on Thursday. The woman was the grandmother of a five-year-old boy who died on Tuesday evening after crossing into Uganda with his family from the Democratic Republic of Congo.

"The grandmother also died last night," the official, Emmanuel Ainebyona, told Reuters. Ainebyona said two other patients remained in isolation - the three-year-old brother of the dead boy and a 23-year-old Ugandan man who has manifested Ebola symptoms.

Test results for the 23-year old are expected later on Thursday, he said, adding that a total of 27 contacts are now being monitored. The current Ebola epidemic began in August last year in eastern Congo and has already infected at least 2,062 people, killing 1,390 of them. The infections in Uganda confirmed that the deadly outbreak has spread for the first time beyond the Democratic Republic of Congo. (Reporting by Elias Biryabarema Writing by Omar Mohammed Editing by Gareth Jones)