Ebola in Uganda: MSF opens its first two Ebola centers

On September 20, Uganda’s Ministry of Health officially declared an outbreak of the Ebola virus. Today 43 patients were confirmed to have Ebola; 29 people died (presumably) from the disease. MSF is working with the ministry to treat patients and contain the epidemic.

MSF opens first Ebola center in Mubindi

The outbreak occurred in the central Mubindi district. There, our teams set up an Ebola center at the regional hospital. At the center we can isolate and treat 36 suspected or confirmed patients. We are currently considering opening a second center at Mubindi Hospital.

Second Ebola center in Madodu, without MSF staff at the moment

In the Madodo sub-district – the actual epicenter of the outbreak in Mubindi – we have started to set up an Ebola center. Primarily, teams from the ministry will isolate and treat patients there. We are discussing with the ministry whether we will also deploy staff to Mubindi.

Sudanese alternative to Ebola: No vaccine available, response must be reconsidered

The current Ebola outbreak in Uganda is caused by a rare type of virus in Sudan. Unlike previous Ebola epidemics such as the one that occurred in the Democratic Republic of the Congo in recent years, no effective vaccine for this type is yet available. Therefore, in cooperation with the ministry, we need to review our normative response. Previously, protection against Ebola through vaccination has proven to be very effective in containing the epidemic quickly.