Friday, October 14, 2022

World Health Organization works to contain Ebola outbreak in Uganda


World Health Organization Director General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said Wednesday that it was working with Uganda to prevent the spread of Ebola to other nations.
Photo by World Health Organization/Twitter

Oct. 12 (UPI) -- The World Health Organization said Wednesday that it was working with Uganda to prevent the country's Ebola outbreak from spreading to other nations.

Health authorities in Uganda have identified 74 confirmed and probable cases of Ebola. At least 39 people have died and 14 others have recovered from the disease.

"Our primary focus now is to support the government Uganda now to rapidly control and contain this outbreak, to stop it from spreading to neighboring districts and neighboring countries," WHO Director General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said during a global health update in Geneva, according to CNBC.

The East African nation declared an Ebola outbreak in late September after a person from a village in the central part of the country tested positive for the virus.


According to experts, Ebolavirus does not spread through airborne transmission. 

People catch the disease through direct contact with body fluids of a person who has fallen ill or died from the virus. It can also spread through contact with contaminated materials and infected animals.

Ebola is not contagious until symptoms appear, which can take 2 to 21 days. On average, it takes about 8 to 10 days for symptoms to show up.

Ebola symptoms include unexplained hemorrhaging, bleeding or bruising as well as fever, severe headaches, muscle and joint pain, weakness and fatigue, sore throat, loss of appetite, stomach pain, diarrhea and vomiting, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

While there are currently no Ebola cases in the United States, the CDC has issued a Level 2 alert, which stipulates enhanced precautions, for travel to Uganda.

"Travelers should avoid contact with sick people and avoid contact with blood or body fluids from all people," the CDC said.

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