Hospital nurse in Uganda dies in country's first Ebola outbreak in 2 years

(30 Jan 2025)
RESTRICTION SUMMARY:
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Kampala, Uganda - 30 January 2025
1. Exterior of Mulago National Specialised Hospital
2. Various of ambulance leaving Mulago Hospital
3. People walking in street
4. Ambulance parked at Ministry of Health
5. Exterior of Uganda's Ministry of Health
6. Various of Diana Atwine, permanent secretary of the health ministry, and officials at news conference
7. SOUNDBITE (English) Diana Atwine, permanent secretary of Uganda's Health Ministry:
“This is the eighth Ebola outbreak in Uganda. The confirmed case, designated as the index case, is a 32-year-old male nurse who was an employee of Mulago National Referral Hospital who initially developed flu-like illness and fever symptoms and sought treatment at multiple health facilities, and these include Mulago National Referral Hospital, Saidina Abubakar Islamic Hospital in Matugga in Wakiso District, and Mbale Regional Referral Hospital in Mbale City, as well as what we established as a traditional healer.”
8. Various of media and officials during news conference
9. SOUNDBITE (English) Diana Atwine, permanent secretary of Uganda's Health Ministry:
“The patient presented with a five-day history of high fever, chest pain, and difficulty in breathing and this started on 20th of this month. The symptoms later progressed to unexplained bleeding from multiple body sites. The patient experienced later, at the time of his death, he had also started showing the signs of multiple organ failure. And all these happened at the National Referral Hospital Mulago.”
10. Various of people and traffic in street ++PART MUTE++
11. SOUNDBITE (English) Derrick Ainembabazi, Kampala resident:
“Right now, people are just moving freely I think because, mostly, they haven’t gotten the news yet and they do not know that Ebola is in the country yet. I also just heard about it today in the afternoon. One case I think, I didn’t hear much about it. So I think the citizens are not yet aware that there is Ebola in the country­ so they are just living their lives normally.”
12. Ambulance arriving at hospital
13. Various of traffic and people in streets
14. SOUNDBITE (English) Derrick Ainembabazi, Kampala Resident:
“As a Ugandan it makes me scared because of how deadly Ebola can be and how quick it can be to kill someone or take a life­ and how it is to prevent getting infected with Ebola. So, yeah, it makes me scared.”
15. Zoom in on flags outside Uganda's health ministry
STORYLINE:
A nurse in Uganda has died of Ebola in the first recorded fatality since the country's last outbreak of the disease ended in early 2023, a health official said Thursday.
The 32-year-old male nurse was an employee of Mulago Hospital, the main referral facility in the capital, Kampala, Diana Atwine, permanent secretary of the health ministry, told reporters on Thursday.
After developing a fever, he was treated at several locations in Uganda before multiple lab tests confirmed he had been suffering from Ebola.
The man died on Wednesday and the Sudan strain of Ebola was confirmed following postmortem tests, Atwine said.
At least 44 contacts of the victim have been identified, including 30 health workers and patients at Mulago Hospital, according to Uganda’s Ministry of Health.
The health authorities are in control of the situation Atwine said, while also urging Ugandans to report any suspected cases.
Tracing contacts is key to stemming the spread of Ebola, and there are no approved vaccines for the Sudan strain of Ebola.
Health authorities said the man also sought the services of a traditional healer.
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