Uganda - Outbreak of Sudan Ebola Virus Disease - declared over on April 26, 2025

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Number of confirmed Ebola cases in Uganda rises to nine

By Reuters
February 11, 20251:59 AM CST Updated 6 hours ago


KAMPALA, Feb 11 (Reuters) -
...
Uganda's health ministry said in a statement late on Monday that of the nine confirmed cases one person had died, seven were being treated in a hospital in the capital Kampala and one was in a hospital in the eastern city of Mbale, near the Kenyan border.

All eight patients are in a stable condition, and 265 contacts of the confirmed cases have been placed under quarantine, the ministry said.

...

https://www.reuters.com/business/healthcare-pharmaceuticals/uganda-ebola-cases-rise-nine-up-three-health-ministry-says-2025-02-11/

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Translation Google

Uganda: Concern after new Ebola cases confirmed by authorities

In Uganda, concern is growing over new cases of Ebola, after the Ministry of Health confirmed nine new cases on Tuesday, February 12. In late January, Kampala announced the start of an outbreak of Ebola of the Sudan strain, against which there is no vaccine. The outbreak began after the death of a nurse at the Mulago public hospital in Kampala.

Published on:02/13/2025 - 1:38 p.m.
Modified on:02/13/2025 - 1:39 p.m.

By : Welly Diallo

" We have confirmed nine cases of Ebola since the initial three cases ," Ugandan Health Ministry permanent secretary Diana Atwine told AFP. Despite the increase in cases , the government is trying to reassure people that the disease is " under control " and " all confirmed cases are linked to the nurse who succumbed to the disease ."

Meanwhile, measures have been taken to try to contain the disease: 265 contact cases have been placed in isolation in hospitals in Kampala and Mbale, in the east of the country. The ministry has advised Ugandans to " remain vigilant ".

The problem remains vaccination. There are six different strains of the disease, three of which have already caused major epidemics: Bundibugyo, Sudan and Zaire.

Ebola-Sudan vaccine trial underway

No vaccine has yet been approved against the Ebola-Sudan strain that caused the cases detected in Uganda . But a first trial was launched in early February by the Ugandan Ministry of Health, the World Health Organization (WHO) and other partners.

In this hope in the face of the ongoing epidemic, the trial aims to vaccinate anyone who has come into contact with a confirmed case. The first results are expected by March.

If the efficacy is confirmed, this vaccine could considerably limit the spread of the epidemic, the eighth in the country since the 2000s. The last one, in 2022, caused the death of 55 people .

https://www.rfi.fr/fr/afrique/20250213-ouganda-inqui%C3%A9tude-apr%C3%A8s-de-nouveaux-cas-d-ebola-confirm%C3%A9s-par-les-autorit%C3%A9s

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Special Briefing on Mpox & other Health Emergencies || Feb. 13, 2025



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WEEKLY BULLETIN ON OUTBREAKS
AND OTHER EMERGENCIES

Week 06: 03 - 09 February 2025
Data as reported by: 17:00; 09 February 2025
...
Uganda

Sudan Virus Disease


9 cases
1 Death
11.1% CFR

EVENT DESCRIPTION

The outbreak of Sudan Virus Disease (SVD) declared
by the Ministry of Health of Uganda continues with
new cases reported over the past week. During
epidemiological week 6 (03 – 09 February 2025), seven
(7) new confirmed cases were reported from five districts
across the country. The new cases were reported among
contacts of the index case. This brings to five the total
number of districts affected across the country.
From 30 January to 09 February, a total of nine (9)
confirmed cases with one (1) death (CFR 11.1%) have
been reported from five districts in the country, namely;
Wakiso (n=4), Kampala (n=2), Mbale (n=1), Jinja (n=1),
and Mukono (n=1). The index case died and was
accorded a safe and dignified burial on 31 January
2025. The remaining eight confirmed cases are currently
admitted in SVD treatment units and receiving care at the
Mulango National Referral Hospital (n=7) and the Mbale
Regional Referral Hospital (n=1).

A total of 308 contacts have so far been identified as
of 09 February 2025. Of these, 265 high-risk contacts
have been quarantined at designated facilities. Contact
tracing activities are ongoing with identification and daily
follow up of contacts.

The outbreak was initially detected following postmortem
laboratory confirmation of Sudan virus infection
on 30 January 2025 through real-time polymerase chain
reaction (RT-PCR) tests in a 32-year-old male nurse,
resident of Wakiso District, Central Region, Uganda.
Results of genomic sequencing conducted at the
Uganda Virus Research Institute shows that the virus
is closely related to a strain which emerged in Luwero
District, Uganda, in May 2011, suggesting that the
current outbreak is not link to the recent 2022 outbreak
and may have originated from a separate spill-over
event.

SVD belongs to the same family as Ebola Virus Disease,
both classified as filoviruses. This is the sixth outbreak of
SVD in Uganda, the most recent outbreak was reported
in September 2022, involving 164 cases with 55 deaths
before being declared over.

PUBLIC HEALTH ACTIONS

The national incident management team, led by the
Ministry of Health of Uganda with technical support from
WHO and its health partners, continues to coordinate
the response to the SVD outbreak. At the subnational
level, district-level task forces are coordinating response
efforts, with technical and operational support from
national-level rapid response teams.

On 3 February 2025, following the necessary
administrative, ethical, and regulatory approvals, Uganda
launched a ring vaccination campaign targeting primary
and secondary contacts using a candidate vaccine.
Nine vaccination rings have been established, with six
randomized for the clinical trial.

Active surveillance is ongoing, with alerts reported daily
by communities and investigated by surveillance officers
to assess whether the outbreak case definition is met.
Suspected cases are being routinely sampled and tested
to rule out SVD infection. As of 9 February 2025, a total of
272 samples from six districts have been tested.

Contact tracing continues across the affected districts,
with 308 contacts identified and under daily monitoring.
Of these, 265 contacts are currently quarantined at
designated facilities. Ninety-nine per cent (99%) of the
contacts were physically monitored within the last 24
hours as of 9 February 2025.

Three treatment units at Mulango, Mbale, and Jinja
isolation centers have been set up for case management,
with bed capacities of 84, 28, and 8 respectively. As of
9 February 2025, eight (8) confirmed and 13 suspected
cases were admitted across the three centers.
Daily infection prevention and control (IPC) drills are
being conducted for all health workers at the treatment
sites. These drills focus on IPC practices, including the
proper use of personal protective equipment (PPE) and
the preparation of chlorine solutions for disinfection.

Compliance with standard precautions and transmission
based precautions is being reinforced through routine
supervision and monitoring in health facilities in the
affected districts.

Risk communication and community engagement
activities have been intensified, with widespread
messaging through mass media, community dialogues,
and awareness meetings in churches, markets, schools,
and other community gatherings.

SITUATION INTERPRETATION

The Ugandan authorities, with support from WHO and
health partners, are scaling up measures to control the
current outbreak of SVD, leveraging past experience
and expertise. The robust surveillance and response
strategies implemented so far are commendable.
The launch of a vaccination trial early in the response
demonstrates how preparedness activities, including research, remain vital to controlling epidemics and mitigating
their impacts. While this trial provides an opportunity to assess the efficacy of the vaccine under outbreak conditions,
potentially providing a tool for future SVD outbreaks, the success of the vaccination trial will depend on several factors,
including the ability to quickly identify contacts, ensure their participation in the vaccination, and maintain high levels
of surveillance and monitoring throughout the process. Vaccination, a crucial component of outbreak control, should
be seen as part of a broader strategy that includes robust surveillance (active case search and contact tracing),
case management, effective infection prevention and control, and heightened risk communication and community
engagement.

https://www.afro.who.int/countries/nigeria/publication/weekly-bulletin-outbreak-and-other-emergencies-week-06-03-09-february-2025

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Source: https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c05mjdgd16po

Uganda discharges Ebola patients
3 hours ago
Makuochi Okafor
BBC Africa Health Correspondent

Uganda has discharged eight patients who have recovered from the Sudan strain of Ebola after they tested negative twice, health officials have said.

The disease has killed one person and infected eight others since an outbreak was reported last month, but 265 people, who were listed for monitoring, remain in quarantine.

This is the eighth Ebola outbreak in Uganda since the first infection was recorded in 2000...

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Uganda Reports Second Death From Ebola Outbreak


By AFP - Agence France Presse

March 01, 2025, 10:58 am EST

A young child has died of the Ebola virus in Uganda, the second victim of an outbreak that was announced in late January, the health ministry said on Saturday.

On Tuesday, the east African country confirmed it had recorded 10 cases of the Sudan Ebola strain of the often deadly virus -- including that of a nurse at Mulago National Referral Hospital, who had died.

On Saturday, it announced an "additional positive case" had been detected at Mulago.

The deceased, a child of four and a half, was "a resident of Kibuli (in the capital, Kampala) linked to the primary cluster", it said.

...

https://www.barrons.com/news/uganda-reports-second-death-from-ebola-outbreak-3b8e6280

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Source: https://halifax.citynews.ca/2025/03/...e-in-outbreak/


A child dies of Ebola in Uganda, raising concern over disease surveillance in outbreak
By Rodney Muhumuza, The Associated Press
Posted Mar 1, 2025 06:18:26 PM.
Last Updated Mar 1, 2025 06:31:30 PM.

KAMPALA, Uganda (AP) — A 4-year-old child became the second person to die of Ebola in Uganda, the World Health Organization said Saturday, in a setback for health officials who had hoped for a quick end to the outbreak that began at the end of January.

The child had been hospitalized at the main referral facility in Kampala, the capital of the East African country, and died Tuesday, the WHO office in Uganda said in a brief statement. That statement said WHO and others are working to strengthen surveillance and contact tracing.

There were no other details about the death and local health officials were not commenting on the case.

The death undermines Ugandan officials’ assertions of an outbreak under control after eight Ebola patients were discharged earlier in February. The first victim was a male nurse who died the day before the outbreak was declared on Jan. 30. He had sought treatment at multiple facilities in Kampala and in eastern Uganda, where he also visited a traditional healer in trying to diagnose his illness, before later dying in Kampala.

The successful treatment of eight patients who had been contacts of that man, including some of his relatives, had left local health officials anticipating the end of the outbreak. But they are still investigating its source.

Tracing contacts is key to stemming the spread of Ebola, and there are no approved vaccines for the Sudan strain of Ebola that’s infecting people in Uganda...

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ERCC - Emergency Response Coordination Centre

Echo Flash
...
Uganda – Ebola outbreak, update

( DG ECHO, MoH)

International

• On 1 March, the Ugandan Ministry of Health (MoH) announced one new confirmed case after a four year old child died on 25 February in Kampala. This is the tenth case and second death since the MoH announced the outbreak on 30 January. The case fatality rate is currently at 20%.
• MoH activated the scenario 2 (“Sustained”) of the ongoing National Response Plan, extending the period to at least 10 incubation cycle (210 days). Active search is ongoing and over 200 contacts have been listed and are being quarantined. Report seems to indicate that most of the listed cases are health workers.
• A first expert deployed under the European Union Civil Protection Mechanism (UCPM) arrived on 27 February in Kampala to enhance capacity building in the country. A second expert from Norway should be deployed in March.

Main Event Type Epidemic

Main Country Uganda

Countries Status Published
EUCPM activation
Copernicus activation

Sources DG ECHO, MoH

Sources Details Name: DG ECHO


Url:: https://civil-protection-humanitaria...pa.eu/index_en

---

Name: MoH
Url:: https://health.go.ug/


...

https://erccportal.jrc.ec.europa.eu/ECHO-Products/Echo-Flash#/echo-flash-items/28662

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WEEKLY BULLETIN ON OUTBREAKS
AND OTHER EMERGENCIES

Week 9: 24 February - 2 March 2025
Data as reported by: 17:00; 2 March 2025
...
Uganda

Sudan Virus Disease

12 cases
4 Deaths
33.3% CFR

EVENT DESCRIPTION

The outbreak of Sudan Virus Disease (SVD) in Uganda,
last reported in our Weekly bulletin 6 (03–09 February
2025), continues with a new case confirmed in Kampala.
On 1 March 2025, the Ministry of Health of Uganda
reported its 10th case in the ongoing outbreak, which
was first notified to WHO on 30 January 2025.

The new case is a 4-year-old male child, resident of
Kabuli, Kakungulu Zone, Makindye Division, Kampala.
The child was initially taken to a health facility in Kibuli,
Kakungulu Zone for care on 15 February 2025, following
onset of illness. On 17 February 2025, following lack of
improvement, the child was taken to a second health
facility in Gayaza, Wakiso District, north of Kampala. As
the illness progressed, he was moved to a third facility
in Watubba, Wakiso District on 22 February 2025.
Following clinical examinations, he was referred to a
fourth health facility in Kampala, where he was admitted
on 23 February 2025. Unfortunately, the child died on
24 February 2025 while in admission at the fourth health
facility, and was buried on 25 February 2025.

Post-mortem sample was collected on 25 February
2025 as part of routine mortality surveillance for viral
haemorrhagic fevers and sent to the Uganda Virus
Research Institute (UVRI) for testing. Initial RT-PCR test
results returned positive for Sudan virus infection on 27
February 2025, with repeat tests confirming the result.

The child’s mother had given birth to a newborn on 23
January 2025 at a health facility in Kampala. She died on
6 February 2025, following an acute illness. The newborn
later died on 12 February 2025. No laboratory tests
were conducted following their deaths, and they were
respectively buried. These two deaths are considered
probable cases given their link to the 10th confirmed
case.

The 10th case was not a know contact. Retrospective
investigation is ongoing to determine the link between
the 10th case and previous cases. A total of 201
new contacts have been identified as of 2 March
2025. Contact tracing and further epidemiological
investigations are ongoing.

From 30 January to 02 March 2025, a cumulative total of
12 cases (including two probable cases) with four deaths
(CFR 33.3%) have been reported from five districts in the
country, namely; Wakiso (n=4), Kampala (n=5), Mbale
(n=1), Jinja (n=1), and Mukono (n=1) across Uganda.
Of these, five cases with one death have been reported
among health workers. On 18 and 19 February 2025,
Uganda discharged all eight SVD cases admitted in
treatment facilities after they fully recovered. As of 2
March 2025, there are no confirmed cases in admission.
A total of 265 contacts previously under follow-up also
completed 21 days of monitoring as of 02 March 2025.

PUBLIC HEALTH ACTIONS

The Ministry of Health of Uganda, with technical
support from WHO and health partners, continues to
lead the outbreak response through a national incident
management team. At the subnational level, district task
forces are coordinating operational activities to ensure
an effective local response.

Active surveillance continues, with community health
workers reporting daily alerts, which are investigated
by district response teams. Since the onset of the
outbreak, a total of 1 145 alerts have been reported and
investigated as of 2 March 2025. Mortality surveillance
is also ongoing, with routine swabbing of deceased
individuals to test for viral haemorrhagic fevers. Of the
778 swabs collected and tested, one returned positive
for Sudan Virus Disease.

Case investigation and contact tracing continue, with
201 new contacts of the latest confirmed case identified
for monitoring. Additionally, travellers screening at 13
points-of-entry (PoEs) remains in place, with 25 364
travellers screened as of 2 March 2025.

Laboratory capacity is available for diagnosis and
genomic sequencing at the Uganda Virus Research
Institute (UVRI).

There are three treatment units at Mulago, Mbale, and
Jinja, with capacities of 84, 28, and 8 beds, respectively.
All eight admitted confirmed cases have recovered and
been discharged. There is currently no confirmed case
in admission.

Infection prevention and control (IPC) measures are
being routinely implemented, including decontamination
of hospital wards visited by the last confirmed case.
Risk communication and community engagement
efforts are ongoing, leveraging mass media, community
dialogues, and awareness campaigns in churches,
markets, schools, and other public gatherings to
ensure widespread public awareness and adherence to
preventive measures.

SITUATION INTERPRETATION

The confirmation of a new SVD case in Kampala highlights the risk of undetected transmission, particularly given
the delayed diagnosis and the child’s movement across multiple healthcare facilities. The retrospective link to the
primary outbreak cluster reveals gaps in contact tracing and surveillance. Additionally, the lack of prior testing for the
deceased mother and newborn raises concerns about missed cases. With no active cases currently in admission
and all previous patients discharged, there is a critical window of opportunity to interrupt transmission. This requires
enhanced surveillance, thorough case investigation and contact tracing, and strict adherence to IPC measures.
Scaling up risk communication and community engagement is essential to counter potential resistance, encourage
early healthcare-seeking behaviour, and enhance community surveillance efforts.

https://iris.who.int/handle/10665/380693

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Special Briefing on Mpox & other Health Emergencies || Mar. 6, 2025
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Screenshot from video (15:30)

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Source: https://www.who.int/emergencies/dise...em/2025-DON558

Sudan virus disease - Uganda

8 March 2025

Situation at a glance

Since the outbreak of Sudan virus disease (SVD) was declared in Uganda on 30 January 2025, and as of 5 March 2025, a total of 14 cases (including 12 confirmed cases and two probable cases) including four deaths (two confirmed and two probable) have been reported. On 1 March 2025, the Ministry of Health released a press statement confirming the tenth case. The patient was a child under 5 years old who presented and died in the Mulago hospital ion 23 February 2025. As of 5 March, two additional confirmed cases and two probable deaths have been reported that are linked to this case. Both of these cases are currently admitted to treatment facilities. Eight confirmed cases received care at treatment centres in the capital Kampala and in Mbale and were discharged on 18 February 2025. As of 5 March 2025, 192 new contacts have been identified and are under follow-up in Kampala, Ntoroko and Wakiso. In the absence of licensed vaccines and therapeutics for the prevention and treatment of SVD, the risk of potential serious public health impact is high.
Description of the situation

Since the second disease outbreak news on this event published on 21 February 2025, three additional laboratory-confirmed cases and two probable deaths of SVD have been reported in Uganda. As of 5 March 2025, 12 confirmed and two probable cases, among these four deaths (two confirmed, two probable) have been reported with a case fatality ratio (CFR) of 29%. The latest confirmed cases are reported to be epidemiologically linked to the two probable cases. The age range of confirmed cases is 1.5 years to 55 years, with a mean age of 27 years and males accounted for 55% of the total cases. The cases were reported from six districts in the country which include Jinja, Kampala, Kyegegwe, Mbale, Ntoroko and Wakiso (Figure 1).
On 1 March 2025, the Ministry of Health released a press statement about the confirmation of a new case. The case was an under 5-year-old child identified at the Mulago Hospital where the patient presented with signs and symptoms meeting the suspect case definition. A laboratory sample was collected, and the child was confirmed with SVD on 26 February by PCR. Following investigations, two probable deaths linked to this case have been reported. This includes the child’s mother who was pregnant at the time of symptom onset on 22January and died on 6 February. Her newborn child died on 12 February. The three deaths did not have a supervised burial. On 3 March, an 11^th case was confirmed, an adult female, contact of case 10, and on 4 March, a 12^th case was confirmed, an adult female, contact of the probable case (the mother of case 10). Both of these cases are currently admitted to treatment facilities.
Since the start of the outbreak, eight cases have recovered and been discharged.
Figure 1: Distribution of Sudan virus disease confirmed, and probable cases reported from Uganda between 30 January and 5 March 2025

Figure 2: Epidemiological curve of reported confirmed SVD cases by symptom onset date, data as of 5 March 2025, (n=12)

As of 5 March, there are 192 new contacts listed around the new cases and 299 previously listed contacts who had completed the 21-day follow-up period.
SVD alert levels reported from the community and the health facilities have been low and efforts are ongoing to improve this. Mortality surveillance has also been set up since the declaration of the outbreak and will continue in Jinja, Kampala, Mbale, Ntoroko and Wakiso districts.
Retrospective epidemiological and laboratory investigations are ongoing to find the source of the outbreak while active case search in and around the community and health facilities linked to the case movements have been intensified.

Epidemiology

Sudan virus disease is a severe disease, belonging to the same family as Ebola virus disease. It is caused by Sudan virus (SUDV) and can result in high case fatality. It is typically characterized by acute onset of fever with non-specific symptoms/signs (e.g., abdominal pain, anorexia, fatigue, malaise, myalgia, sore throat) usually followed several days later by nausea, vomiting, diarrhoea, and occasionally a variable rash. Hiccups may occur. Severe illness may include haemorrhagic manifestations (e.g., bleeding from puncture sites, ecchymoses, petechiae, visceral effusions), encephalopathy, shock/hypotension, multi-organ failure, and spontaneous abortion in infected pregnant women. Individuals who recover may experience prolonged sequelae (e.g., arthralgia, neurocognitive dysfunction, uveitis sometimes followed by cataract formation), and clinical and subclinical persistent infection may occur in immune-privileged compartments (e.g., central nervous system (CNS), eyes, testes). Person-to-person transmission occurs by direct contact with blood, other bodily fluids, organs, or contaminated surfaces and materials with risk beginning at the onset of clinical signs and increasing with disease severity. Family members, healthcare providers, and participants in burial ceremonies with direct contact with the deceased are at particular risk. The incubation period ranges from 2 to 21 days, but typically is 7–11 days.

Public health response

Health authorities are implementing public health measures, including but not limited to the following:
Coordination:

• The Ministry of Health (MoH) has activated the coordination structures at national and subnational levels, including the Incident Management Team and dispatched Rapid Response Teams to the affected districts. Regional Emergency Operation Centers have been activated in Fort Portal, Ntoroko, Kampala, and Mbale districts.
• The country developed a National Response Plan (February-April 2025). The response plan has been updated to reflect current response priorities and builds on lessons learned from previous outbreaks. It deploys the basic minimum packages of activities across the districts according to risk.

Surveillance and contract tracing:

• MoH with support from WHO and partners, is conducting alert management including the setup of an alert desk with toll-free numbers to detect and verify alerts from all over the country that meet the case definition. Since 30 January, over 1300 signals have been reported from all over the country and 112 alerts have been verified as suspected cases.
• MoH with support from partners has allocated teams to conduct detailed case investigations around all confirmed and probable cases to identify and stop the chains of transmission.
• MoH has allocated teams to conduct contact listing of cases and perform daily follow-up of contacts.
• Following the declaration of the outbreak, MoH, with support from WHO, has established mortality surveillance. Over 770 non-trauma deaths were tested in communities and health facilities located in the affected districts, and one tested positive (case 10).
• MoH set up a hotline for notification of suspected cases.
• MoH is conducting exit screening of SVD signs and symptoms among travellers at Uganda’s 13 high volume points of entry (POE) including Entebbe International Airport

Case Management:

• MoH with support from WHO and partners has set up four designated isolation and treatment units in Jinja, Kampala, Mbale and now Fort Portal, where confirmed cases receive optimized supportive care. Plans are underway to conduct therapeutic clinical trials.
• Patients who recovered from the disease are included in the survivor care programme for support and care.
• MoH has scaled up its case management strategy to ensure sufficient capacities to provide care for all suspected and confirmed cases in all hot spots

Laboratory:

• MoH and partners have strengthened laboratory capacities and deployed a mobile laboratory to Mbale to reduce turnaround time for laboratory results.
• MoH has performed a full genome sequencing on the sample of the first confirmed case and findings indicate the outbreak is most likely the result of a spillover event. Sequencing was also performed on samples of subsequent confirmed cases,

Infection prevention and control:

• MoH has activated their IPC response coordination mechanism.
• MoH has activated the IPC ring around cases, which includes cleaning and disinfection of sites where confirmed cases passed through.
• In their official press statement, the MoH provided recommendations to health workers, district leaders, and the public to strengthen detection of suspected cases and implement appropriate infection, prevention and control measures.
• MOH is surging and strengthening IPC activities, with the support of partners, notably to improve screening, isolation and notification at health facilities in order to better detect suspected cases.
• MoH is orienting health workers on IPC measures in the context of Ebola disease outbreak response.

Risk communication and community engagement (RCCE)

• An integrated community engagement approach has been adopted whereby the RCCE team facilitate access to communities for other response pillars. This helps to build trust and enhance contact tracing, case investigation, surveillance, referral to isolation units and provision of psychosocial support.
• Anthropological investigation is used to identify community concerns, risk behaviours, reduce hesitancy from communities and to enhance evidence-informed decisions across pillars.
• Development and dissemination of public health messages to promote protective and health seeking behaviours, community engagement to build trust and provide psychosocial support.

Research and development

• Research priorities:The Collaborative Open Research Consortium (CORC) for the Filoviridae Family held two global consultations to deliberate and identify the research priorities for Sudan ebolavirus in general and this outbreak in particular. Over 200 scientists from around the world participated in each of the two consultations.

• Ring vaccination trial: After the outbreak was confirmed on 30 January, researchers from the Uganda Makerere University and the Virus Research Institute (UVRI), with support from WHO, swiftly mobilised to launch the vaccination trial. The trial was initiated only four days following the outbreak, reflecting the urgency of the response while maintaining rigorous ethical and regulatory standards. The trial follows the ring vaccination model, in which primary and secondary contacts of confirmed cases receive the vaccine, to create a protective barrier and help break chains of transmission. The development of the protocols and research priorities has been done via the MARVAC Consortium and the Collaborative Open Research Consortium (CORC) for the Filoviridae Family, European Union (EU) Health Emergency Preparedness and Response (HERA) and Canada’s International Development Research Centre (IDRC) supported the development of these crucial trial protocols during the inter-epidemic, preparedness phase
  EU HERA and IDRC also provided financial support for the trial, alongside WHO. The Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI) is also providing support with additional support from the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC). The vaccine itself was donated by IAVI, with additional support from the Africa CDC.
• Therapeutics trial: While several promising candidate therapeutics are currently advancing through clinical development, no licensed treatment is yet available to effectively address potential future outbreaks of Ebola virus disease caused by the Sudan virus species. If successful, this trial could play a critical role in enhancing outbreak control measures and supporting the future regulatory approval of the candidate vaccine. Numerous developers facilitated the availability of the candidate vaccine and treatments: MappBio provided their candidate Sudan monoclonal, Gilead provided remdesivir, an antiviral.

WHO is supporting the national authorities through:

• Risk assessment and investigation.
• Providing operational, financial and technical support to the Ministry of Health to ensure swift response. A total of US$ 3.4 million was released from the Contingency Fund for Emergencies for the three levels of WHO to support the government-led response
• Supporting the national laboratory system to implement sample collection, transport and diagnostic testing.
• Providing strategic, technical and operational support to strengthen infection. prevention and control response measures and standards within health facilities and Ebola treatment units in Kampala, Mbale, Luwero districts. This includes supporting IPC ring activation activities, rapid assessments of health facilities, capacity building of health workers, mentorship and supportive supervision at designed health facilities and supporting development of key guidance, SOPs and tools.
• Facilitating access to candidate vaccines and therapeutics and supporting the launch of the vaccine trial. Rings have been defined around all confirmed cases and their contacts have been invited to consent in the trial. As part of this support, the "TOKEMEZA SVD" vaccine trial was launched on 3 February 2025 and the TOKOMEZA immuno (an add-on study) was launched on 1 March 2025.
• Providing technical and operation assistance for the setup of isolation centers for suspected cases and two Ebola treatment units in Kampala and Mbale.
• Mobilizing logistics to complement government supplies, including IPC supplies, drugs, resuscitation and monitoring equipment, admission packages, and mattresses.
• Deploying a team of 47 experts to Mbale, Kampala, Wakiso and Jinja districts to support across different response pillars including coordination, surveillance, laboratory, logistics, IPC, RCCE, and case management pillars.
• Supporting RCCE efforts to counter misinformation and enhance community engagement through the deployment of two anthropologists.
• Intensified and integrated risk communication and community engagement, including sensitization and training of Village Health Teams, traditional healers, religious leaders and teachers.
• Collecting social and behavioural data and using evidence to respond to communities’ anxieties and concern, rumours, misinformation and disinformation

WHO risk assessment

Sudan virus disease (SVD) is a severe, often fatal illness affecting humans. Sudan virus (SUDV) was first identified in southern Sudan in June 1976. Since then, the virus has emerged periodically and up to now and prior to this current one, eight outbreaks caused by SUDV have been reported, five in Uganda and three in Sudan. The case fatality rates of SVD have varied from 41% to 70% in past outbreaks.
SUDV is enzootic and present in animal reservoirs in the region. Uganda reported five SVD outbreaks (one in 2000, one in 2011, two in 2012, and one in 2022). The current outbreak is the sixth SVD outbreak in Uganda. Uganda also reported a Bundibugyo virus disease outbreak in 2007 and an Ebola virus disease outbreak exported from the Democratic Republic of the Congo in 2019. The latest SVD outbreak in Uganda was declared over on 11 January 2023. A total of 164 cases with 55 deaths were reported in nine districts.
Uganda has experience in responding to Ebola disease outbreaks including SVD. In the ongoing outbreak, cases have been reported from several districts including the capital city, Kampala, with high population movement. Cases have sought care in several health facilities, including traditional healers, and some cases have been detected at a late stage of the disease or death. The government, with support from partners is implementing several public health actions for effective control.
In the absence of licensed vaccines and therapeutics for the prevention and treatment of SVD, the risk of potential serious public health impact is high. Community deaths, care of patients in private facilities and hospitals and other community health services as well as at traditional healers with limited protection and infection prevention and control measures entail a high risk of many transmission chains. An investigation is ongoing to determine the source and the scope of the outbreak and the possibility of spread from the capital city, Kampala, to other districts. Exit screening has been set up at different points of entry to reduce the risk of potential exportation of cases to neighbouring countries.

WHO advice

Effective Ebola disease outbreak, including SVD, control relies on applying a package of interventions, including case management, surveillance and contact tracing, a strong laboratory system, implementation of infection prevention and control measures in health care and community settings, safe and dignified burials and community engagement and social mobilization.
Risk communication and community engagement is crucial to successfully controlling SVD outbreaks. This includes raising awareness of symptoms, risk factors for infection, protective measures and the importance of seeking immediate care at a health facility. Sensitive and supportive information about safe and dignified burials is also crucial. Awareness should be built through targeted campaigns and direct work with affected and proximate communities, with special attention to engage with traditional healers, clergy, ‘boda boda’ drivers and community leaders, who are important sources of information for the community. Findings from rapid qualitative assessments should continue to be implemented to collect socio-behavioural data, which can then be used to inform response pillars. Priority areas to strengthen, based on recent evidence are mortality surveillance, contact tracing and safe and dignified burials. Misinformation and rumours should be addressed to foster trust and promote early symptom reporting.
Early initiation of intensive supportive treatment increases the chances of survival. All above-mentioned interventions need to be thoroughly implemented in affected areas to stop chains of transmission and decrease disease mortality. Cases, contacts and individuals in affected areas who present signs and symptoms compatible with case definitions should be advised not to travel and seek early care at designated facilities to improve their chances of survival and limit transmission.
WHO encourages countries to implement a comprehensive care programme to support people who recovered from Ebola disease with any subsequent sequelae and to enable them to access body fluid testing and to mitigate the risk of transmission through infected body fluids by adequate practices.
Collaboration with neighbouring countries should be enhanced to harmonize reporting mechanisms, conduct joint investigations, and share critical data in real-time. Surrounding countries should enhance readiness activities to enable early case detection, isolation and treatment.
A range of candidate vaccines and therapeutics are under different stage of development. Since 2020, WHO has convened scientific deliberations and set up an independent process to review candidate medical countermeasures (MCMs) prioritization and clinical trial designs. One candidate vaccine and two candidate therapeutics (a monoclonal antibody and an antiviral) have been recommended and are available in country and are being assessed (clinical efficacy and safety) through randomized clinical trial protocols.
Thanks to preparedness measures that the government took after the previous outbreak in 2022, and a global research collaboration led by WHO (first MARVAC now FILOVIRUS CORC), a trial of a candidate vaccine was launched just four days after the outbreak was declared. A therapeutics trial will start as soon as national authorities provide approval.
The two vaccines licensed against Ebola virus disease (from the Zaire species) will not provide cross-protection against SVD and cannot be used in this outbreak.
WHO advises against any restrictions on travel and/or trade to Uganda based on available information for the current outbreak.

[Pathfinder]

Ebola fight: Community burials, school visits halted in Rwenzori sub-region

Mar 16, 2025
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This directive was announced during a press conference at the Kabarole district headquarters in Kitumba on Saturday, March 15, by Dr Archbald Bahizi, director of Fort Portal Regional Referral Hospital.

"We are not allowing any community burial without testing the body, whether the deceased is from a home or a health facility, except those who died due to accidents or mob actions," instructed Dr Bahizi.
...
Col. Dr Francis Xavier Bakehenda, the regional incident commander, revealed that 109 contacts have been recorded in relation to confirmed and probable Ebola cases. Of the 63 individuals currently in isolation, 19 have been classified as cases after 19 days since a probable case was reported in Ntoroko district.

He explained that authorities are actively tracing 27 individuals who remain under follow-up, including several patients admitted to the general ward at Bukuku at the time the Ntoroko probable case was reported but have since gone missing.

"We only managed to identify four students from Karugutu Secondary School who are under management and receiving medical attention," Bakehenda.
...

https://www.newvision.co.ug/category/health/ebola-fight-community-burials-school-visits-h-NV_206985

[Pathfinder]

(Screenshot)
Weekly Special Press Briefing on Health Emergencies || April 3, 2025
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QJAL8-FIB3k