NewsDesk @bactiman63

The Uganda Ministry of Health reported today an additional four confirmed Sudan Virus Disease (SVD) cases and seven new fatalities, bringing the total cases and deaths from the outbreak declared on September 20 to 48 and 17, respectively. This is a case-fatality rate of 35% among confirmed cases.

The virus has been reported in the five of 146 districts in the country– Mubende, Kassanda, Kyegegwa, Kagadi and Bunyagabu. All of these districts are more than 100 km from the capital city of Kampala, Dr Diana Atwine, the Permanent Secretary of the ministry said last week. The rest of the country is free from Ebola and there are no travel restrictions, she continued.

Both US and UK officials issued travel restrictions on passengers from Uganda.

This is the fifth outbreak of Ebola caused by Sudan virus in Uganda since 2000.

According to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), a person infected with EVD is not contagious until symptoms appear (including fever, headache, muscle and joint pain, fatigue, loss of appetite, gastrointestinal symptoms, and unexplained bleeding). Sudan virus is spread through direct contact (through broken skin or mucous membranes) with the body fluids (blood, urine, feces, saliva, droplet, or other secretions) of a person who is sick with or has died from EVD, infected animals, or with objects like needles that are contaminated with the virus. EVD is not spread through airborne transmission.

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There is currently no FDA-licensed vaccine to protect against Sudan virus infection. The Ebola vaccine licensed in the United States (ERVEBO,® Ebola Zaire Vaccine, Live, also known as V920, rVSVΔG-ZEBOV-GP or rVSV-ZEBOV) is indicated for the prevention of EVD due to Ebola virus (species Zaire ebolavirus), and based on studies in animals, it is not expected to protect against Sudan virus or other viruses in the Ebolavirus genus. Also, there is currently no FDA-approved treatment for Sudan virus.