Ebola virus case reported near Uganda's capital: officials

May 15, 2011

Initial test results indicate that a 12-year-old girl died of the deadly Ebola virus in a town about 35 kilometres (22 miles) north of Kampala, health officials told AFP on Saturday.

Preliminary testing carried out at the Uganda Virus Research Institute showed on Friday that the girl died from the virus on May 6 at Bombo hospital, said Dr Miriam Nanyunja, and control officer for the in Uganda.

"She came into the hospital and died a few hours later," Nanyunja said. "They tested for Ebola and the confirmatory result came out yesterday."

Nanyunja said that were currently looking for more cases in the area and planned to set up an isolation unit at Bombo hospital in anticipation of new patients.

Ugandan director general of health services Dr Nathan Mugisha confirmed the preliminary results and said that a taskforce was meeting on Saturday to work out how to deal with any potential outbreak.

"So far it is only preliminary test results and there is a meeting in progress," Mugisha told AFP.

The rare haemorrhagic disease, named after a small river in neighbouring , killed 37 people in western Uganda in 2007 and claimed the lives of at least 170 people in the north of the country in 2000.

(c) 2011 AFP


Rank not rated yet
Relevant PhysicsForums posts

More news stories

Keep food safety in mind this memorial day weekend

(HealthDay) -- Picnics, parades and cookouts are as much a part of Memorial Day weekend as tributes to the United States' war veterans.

Medicine & Health / Health

created 12 hours ago | popularity not rated yet | comments 0

Family history of Alzheimer's affects functional connectivity

(HealthDay) -- Cognitively normal individuals with a family history of late-onset Alzheimer's disease (AD) may display lower resting state functional connectivity in the default mode network (DMN) of the brain, ...

Medicine & Health / Alzheimer's disease & dementia

created 21 hours ago | popularity not rated yet | comments 0

Transvaginal mesh op restores pelvic organ prolapse at price

(HealthDay) -- Transvaginal mesh (TVM) procedures are effective for anatomical restoration of pelvic organ prolapse (POP), but patients report a worsening of sexual function following surgery, according to ...

Medicine & Health / Other

created 21 hours ago | popularity not rated yet | comments 0

Travel to high altitudes tied to Crohn's, colitis flare-ups

(HealthDay) -- People with inflammatory bowel disease, which includes Crohn's disease and colitis, may be at increased risk for flare-ups when they fly or travel to high altitudes for skiing or mountain climbing, ...

Medicine & Health / Inflammatory disorders

created 22 hours ago | popularity not rated yet | comments 1 | with audio podcast

Color-changing contact lenses to help diabetics (w/ Video)

For the millions of Americans with diabetes, the inconvenient and often painful method of testing blood sugar levels is a way of life. But research and innovative product design by scientists at The University of Akron may ...

Medicine & Health / Diabetes

created May 23, 2012 | popularity 4.4 / 5 (7) | comments 4 | with audio podcast


Browser wars flare in mobile space

The browser wars are heating up again, but this time the fight is for dominance of the mobile Internet.

Nvidia trumpets Tegra 3 phone design wins for 2012

(Phys.org) -- Nvidia’s competitive war paint has a name, Tegra 3. On the heels of Nvidia announcements about lowering costs of its Tegra 3 processors and Nvidia-enabled tablets running Android Ice Cream ...

Scientist: Evolution debate will soon be history

(AP) -- Richard Leakey predicts skepticism over evolution will soon be history. Not that the avowed atheist has any doubts himself.

Dell tablet leak: 10.1-inch display, two-battery choice

(Phys.org) -- Headline after headline talks about vendors’ tablets in the wings as likely number-one contenders for the iPad. Such claims have justifiably been taken with a grain of salt, considering ...

SpotterRF debuts Radar Backpack Kit (w/ Video)

(Phys.org) -- SpotterRF has announced a special radar backpack kit designed to enhance situational awareness for soldiers on the ground. The company says its special radar is designed for warfighters as part ...

SpaceX capsule has 'new car' smell, astronauts say (Update)

SpaceX's Dragon cargo vessel smells like a new car, said astronauts at the International Space Station after opening the hatches Saturday following the spacecraft's landmark mission to the orbiting lab.