Uganda has confirmed three new cases of Ebola, bringing the total number of infections in the current outbreak to five, as health authorities intensify contact tracing efforts to contain the virus’s spread. The newly confirmed patients include a Ugandan truck driver who transported an infected individual from the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and a healthcare worker who was exposed while caring for that patient. Both are receiving treatment and were identified through existing contact tracing. A third case involves a woman from the DRC who crossed into Uganda with mild abdominal symptoms. She travelled from Arua, near the border, to Entebbe before seeking medical attention at a private hospital in Kampala. Although her condition initially improved, she later tested positive for Ebola following a tip-off from a pilot involved in her transport, prompting a follow-up investigation. Ugandan officials are monitoring all identified contacts and have urged the public to report any suspected symptoms immediately.
Congo outbreak and international response
The new infections come as the World Health Organization (WHO) warns that the Bundibugyo strain of Ebola – for which there is no approved vaccine or specific treatment – poses a “very high” risk of turning into a national outbreak in the neighbouring DRC. The WHO declared the outbreak a public health emergency of international concern on Sunday. Its director-general, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, told reporters: “We are now revising our risk assessment to very high at the national level, high at the regional level, and low at the global level.”
So far, 82 cases have been confirmed in the DRC, with seven confirmed deaths, 177 suspected deaths and nearly 750 suspected cases. Abdirahman Mahamud, the WHO’s director of Health Emergency Alert & Response Operations, said: “The potential of this virus spreading rapidly is high, very high, and that changed the whole dynamic.” Measures taken in Uganda, including intense contact tracing and the cancellation of a mass gathering, appear to have been effective in stemming the spread, Tedros added.
The outbreak has also affected international workers. A US national working in the DRC – an American doctor, according to further details – has tested positive and been transferred to Germany for care. Tedros noted that another American national with a high-risk contact has been transferred to the Czech Republic, and six other high-risk contacts are being moved to Europe for monitoring and quarantine.
Britain will provide up to £20 million to contain the outbreak in the eastern DRC and Uganda, the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office announced, with funding to support frontline health workers, infection control and disease surveillance. The United States has pledged $23 million and will help establish up to 50 Ebola treatment clinics in affected regions. The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has also dispatched epidemiologists to the DRC and Uganda. The WHO has activated its Incident Management System and is deploying rapid response teams, medical supplies and surveillance resources.
The response is complicated by insecurity, population displacement and limited access to healthcare in conflict-affected parts of eastern Congo, as well as distrust of authorities and misinformation. Travel restrictions have been imposed: the US has introduced entry restrictions for individuals who have recently been in the DRC, Uganda or South Sudan, while the UK has updated its travel advice to recommend against all but essential travel to some areas of the DRC.
Experimental treatment under consideration
Among the most closely watched developments is the potential use of an experimental antiviral drug called Obeldesivir. The WHO’s chief scientist, Sylvie Briand, said the drug could be given to people who have been in contact with Ebola cases to prevent them from developing the disease. “This is a promising treatment drug, but it has still to be implemented under a very, very strict protocol,” she warned.
Obeldesivir is an experimental oral antiviral originally developed by Gilead Sciences for Covid-19. Research in non-human primates has shown it protects against Ebola and Sudan virus infections. It is now being explored as a potential treatment for people exposed to the Bundibugyo strain. In addition to Obeldesivir, experimental monoclonal antibodies are also being tested; one cocktail derived from the blood of an Ebola survivor has been shown to protect monkeys against the Bundibugyo virus.
No approved vaccine exists for this strain. Existing vaccines target the Zaire strain, and scientists are assessing whether they offer any cross-protection against Bundibugyo – though this is not guaranteed. Developing a specific vaccine for the Bundibugyo strain is estimated to take six to nine months.
The Bundibugyo strain was previously responsible for an outbreak in Uganda in 2007–2008 that resulted in 131 cases and 42 deaths, and another in the DRC in 2012. Its case fatality rate is estimated between 30% and 50%. Uganda has faced Ebola outbreaks before, including one in 2000 that killed more than 200 people.
