New case of Ebola reported in Congo 0:34
(CNN) --
Uganda declared an Ebola outbreak after a case of the relatively rare strain from Sudan was confirmed in the country, the World Health Organization (WHO) said Tuesday.
The WHO Africa office said in a statement that the case was confirmed after testing a sample from a 24-year-old man in the country's Mubende district.
Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Health Diana Atwine, center, confirms an Ebola case in the country, at a press conference in Kampala, Uganda, on Tuesday, September 20, 2022.
Ugandan health authorities investigated six suspicious deaths in the district this month.
The country's health ministry said the 24-year-old patient died after showing symptoms.
"There are currently eight suspected cases receiving care at a health facility," WHO Africa said, adding that it is assisting Ugandan health authorities with the investigation and deployment of staff to the affected area.
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"This is the first time in more than a decade that Uganda has registered the Ebola strain from Sudan," said Dr. Matshidiso Moeti, WHO regional director for Africa.
"We are working closely with national health authorities to investigate the origin of this outbreak."
Uganda last reported an Ebola outbreak in Sudan in 2012, the WHO said.
At least 17 people have died of the 24 cases identified in that outbreak, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which helped contain the virus in the East African country at the time.
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Uganda has experienced four Ebola outbreaks, according to the WHO, with the deadliest on record in 2000, which left more than 200 people dead.
Uganda borders the Democratic Republic of the Congo, which is experiencing a resurgence of Ebola after outbreaks this year.
Uganda's last outbreak was in 2019 when it confirmed the Zairean strain, which led to the death of a 9-year-old Congolese girl near the border with the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
According to the WHO, vaccination against the Zairean strain has been approved but inoculation against the Sudanese strain has not been tested.
Ebola