Ebola Fever Claims 14 Lives In Uganda

7/29/2012 1:51 AM ET

Uganda confirmed on Saturday that the deadly Ebola hemorrhagic fever has taken the lives of fourteen people. This was revealed in a statement by the Ugandan Ministry of Health and the World Health Organization.

The health ministry in a statement said investigations conducted at the Uganda Virus Research Institute in Entebbe showed the disease in Kibaale district in Midwestern Uganda as Ebola.

Emergency measures have been taken by the health ministry to tackle the outbreak, which is believed to have first occurred in late June, although it was not identified as Ebola. Reports indicate some 20 cases with 14 deaths since beginning July 2012.

Authorities link most of the cases to one family in Nyanswiga village in Nyamarunda county in Kibaale district, whose members may have contracted the disease while attending a funeral. Kibaale is about 170 kilometers west of the Ugandan capital Kampala. Samples from the dead have identified Ebola virus to be present in biological specimens.

The health ministry also said a national task force has been formed, which includes experts from the ministry, WHO, and Center for Disease Control, and were at the spot for investigations.

Ebola virus is indicated as a highly contagious disease which can cause symptoms including fever, vomiting, diarrhea, generalized pain or malaise. In some cases, there could be extensive internal and external bleeding. Ebola fever has a high mortality rate, depending on the viral subtype.

by RTT Staff Writer

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