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Via VOA: Uganda's Ministry of Health Confirms Ebola Case from DR Congo. Excerpt and then a comment:
KAMPALA, UGANDA - Uganda's Ministry of Health has confirmed a case of the Ebola virus in the western district of Kasese.
In a statement released Thursday evening, Dr. Joyce Moriku Kaducu, Uganda's minister of state in charge of primary health care, said, "The confirmed case is a 9-year-old female of Congolese origin who traveled with her mother on Wednesday."
The child and her mother entered Uganda through the Mpondwe main border post to seek medical care.
The child reportedly has symptoms including high fever, body weakness, rash and unexplained mouth bleeding.
A blood sample was drawn and sent for testing at the Uganda Virus Research Institute and was confirmed positive for Ebola on Thursday.
"She was subsequently isolated and transferred to Bwera Hospital Ebola treatment unit, where she is currently being managed," Moriku said.
I've spent much of the day trying to learn more than this about the new case. Neither the Ugandan nor the DRC media have anything new to add yet, so questions remain:
For example, where were the mother and daughter when the girl started showing symptoms? Was it in a health zone with continuing cases, or a new zone, or one that hasn't seen a new case in weeks or months?
Why did the mother decide that local care wasn't enough? Did she have more confidence in the Ugandan healthcare system? Or family in Uganda?
How did mother and daughter get from wherever they'd been to the border? By bus? Moto taxi? We're told no Ugandans came in contact with them (apart, presumably, from the border officials who screened them), but what about their contacts in the DRC? Any family or neighbours there?
Why didn't the Ugandans return mother and daughter to the DRC? Was it because Beni is much farther from the border checkpoint than Bwera? If so, it was the decision, given Bwera's Ebola treatment centre and Ugandan experience with Ebola.
It's impressive that the Ugandans spotted the girl right at the border, isolated her, got a sample, and tested it so quickly. Kampala is 7 hours by road from Bwera; however the sample got there, by road or air, transportation and testing were both exemplary.
I hope we soon get a statement from Uganda or the DRC (preferably a joint statement) with answers to these questions.
