Uganda Ebola Outbreak: How One Casualty Has Sparked Health Concerns
A 32-year-old male nurse at Mulago National Referral Hospital in Kampala, Uganda, has died from Ebola, marking the first recorded fatality since the country’s last outbreak ended in 2023. The nurse initially experienced symptoms such as high fever, chest pain, and difficulty breathing, which later progressed to unexplained bleeding from multiple body sites and multiorgan failure. He sought care from multiple facilities and a traditional healer before his death on January 29, 2025.
The Uganda Ministry of Health has confirmed the outbreak and is actively responding. Rapid response teams have been deployed, contact tracing is underway, and measures are in place to contain the situation. The public is assured that the situation is under control.
This is the first Ebola outbreak in Uganda since the 2022–2023 outbreak, which resulted in 77 deaths.
Ebola is a severe viral illness characterized by symptoms such as high fever, severe headache, muscle pain, weakness, fatigue, diarrhea, vomiting, abdominal pain, and unexplained hemorrhaging. It is transmitted through direct contact with blood or bodily fluids of an infected person or through contact with contaminated objects.