Ugandan health authorities have confirmed an isolated case of the highly infectious Marburg virus disease, detected during ongoing surveillance efforts for the country’s Ebola outbreak.
The announcement came from Africa‘s leading public health body, the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC), on Wednesday.
The confirmed case involved a one-and-a-half-year-old child in the Kyegegwa district, located in western Uganda, who tragically died.
Crucially, a spokesperson for the Africa CDC stated that Ugandan officials reported no contacts of the deceased child had developed symptoms, and there are currently no active Marburg cases within the East African nation.
However, a spokesperson for Uganda’s health ministry said they were unaware of a Marburg outbreak.
Saran Koly, a spokesperson for the Africa CDC, confirmed their engagement with the Ugandan government through official public health channels regarding the reports.
“At this stage, we cannot confirm reports of any additional case,” Koly said, adding that the Africa CDC “stands ready to support verification, risk assessment and response readiness as needed.”
Two officials from the World Health Organisation also informed Reuters they were aware of Uganda’s detection of a Marburg case.
Uganda’s last recorded Marburg outbreak occurred in 2017.
Uganda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) are currently experiencing the fastest-ever recorded outbreak of Ebola, with experts warning it could reach South Sudan in the coming weeks.
Since the outbreak was declared in the DRC on May 15, confirmed case numbers have hit over 1,000 with almost 300 deaths. The epicentre is Ituri province, close to the borders with South Sudan, as well as Uganda, where a small number of cases have also been confirmed.
