On September 20, the Ministry of Health in Uganda officially declared an outbreak of Ebola. Today 43 patients with Ebola have been confirmed; 29 people have (presumably) died of the disease. Doctors Without Borders is working with the ministry to treat patients and contain the epidemic.
Doctors Without Borders opens first Ebola center in Mubende
The outbreak happened in the Mubende district, in the center of the country. There, our teams have set up an Ebola center in the regional hospital. At the center we can isolate and treat 36 suspected or confirmed patients. We are currently looking into opening a second center in Mubende hospital.
Second Ebola center in Madudu, without MSF staff for the time being
In the sub-district of Madudu – the actual epicenter of the outbreak in Mubende – we have started setting up an Ebola center. In the first instance, teams from the ministry will isolate and treat the patients there. We are discussing with the ministry whether we will also deploy staff in Mubende.
Sudan variant of Ebola virus: no vaccine available, response to be reconsidered
The current Ebola outbreak in Uganda is caused by the rare Sudan variant of the virus. Unlike previous Ebola epidemics such as those in RD Congo in recent years, no effective vaccine is yet available for this variant. So, together with the ministry, we need to review our standard response. Protection against Ebola through vaccination has previously proven to be very efficient in quickly containing an epidemic.