Ugandan health authorities have launched a clinical trial for a vaccine targeting the Sudan strain of Ebola, following an outbreak that has already claimed one life. The trial, which commenced on Monday, is focusing on health workers and individuals exposed to the virus.
The outbreak was confirmed last week after a nurse in the capital, Kampala, succumbed to the disease. Two of his relatives have also tested positive. Authorities are still investigating the source of the outbreak, as Ebola spreads through direct contact with bodily fluids of infected individuals or contaminated materials. Symptoms include fever, vomiting, diarrhea, muscle pain, and, in severe cases, internal and external bleeding.
The rapid spread of the virus in Kampala, a city with a population of approximately four million, poses significant challenges for containment. Officials revealed that the deceased nurse had initially sought treatment at a hospital near Kampala before traveling to Mbale in eastern Uganda, where he was admitted to a public hospital and also consulted a traditional healer.
According to Uganda’s Ministry of Health, at least 234 people have been identified as contacts in this outbreak. To combat the spread, health authorities have access to over 2,000 doses of a candidate vaccine against the Sudan strain, provided by IAVI.
Dr. Matshidiso Moeti, the World Health Organization’s (WHO) regional director for Africa, described the trial as a "major milestone in public health emergency response" and highlighted the importance of global cooperation in tackling such outbreaks.
This Ebola outbreak comes amid shifts in international health policies, following the Trump administration’s withdrawal from WHO and the freezing of foreign aid.
Uganda has experienced multiple Ebola outbreaks in the past, including a devastating one in 2000 that resulted in hundreds of deaths. Effective contact tracing remains a crucial measure in preventing the spread of the virus.
A similar vaccine, rVSV-ZEBOV, was successfully deployed during the 2018–2020 Ebola outbreak in eastern Congo, where it helped contain the Zaire strain of the virus.
The region has seen a series of viral hemorrhagic fever outbreaks in recent months. Tanzania reported an outbreak of Marburg virus last month, while Rwanda declared its own Marburg outbreak over in December.
Ebola, first identified in 1976 in simultaneous outbreaks in South Sudan and Congo, is believed to originate from infected animals, though the natural reservoir of the virus remains unknown.