Ebola outbreak in Uganda claims more lives as DRC faces mystery disease

Uganda is grappling with a new Ebola outbreak, marking its sixth detection of the virus, which comes just as a mystery disease is causing growing concern in the neighboring Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).
A four-year-old child has become the second fatality linked to the Sudan Ebola strain following confirmation of the virus at Mulago National Referral Hospital in Kampala, the sole facility designated for Ebola care. Uganda’s Ministry of Health confirmed the outbreak in January after the death of a male nurse at the same hospital. While eight Ebola patients have since recovered, more than 260 individuals remain under strict quarantine. Health authorities are on high alert, as the Sudan strain currently lacks a vaccine.
Meanwhile, in the DRC’s Equateur province, over 60 deaths related to a mysterious illness have been reported, with at least 1,000 cases, though early tests have ruled out Ebola and Marburg disease. Researchers are investigating the possibility of a bacterial contamination, with many victims testing positive for malaria. Symptoms of the illness include fever, muscle aches, and vomiting. The World Health Organization (WHO) has dispatched epidemiologists to the region to conduct further testing, with concerns that the disease may spread if not contained swiftly. The outbreak appears to be linked to “some kind of poisoning event,” said WTO’s infectious disease specialist Mike Ryan, adding that in the hardest hit village, people who became ill shared the same water source.
Both outbreaks highlight the region’s vulnerability to infectious diseases, with limited infrastructure complicating efforts to control these public health threats. The situation in both Uganda and the DRC remains critical as health authorities continue their investigations and containment measures.