• An Ebola patient has died in a hospital in Uganda’s capital, Kampala.
• He is the 19th fatality of the current outbreak, but the first to die in the city.
• Health Minister Dr Jane Ruth Aceng said the man fled his village, disguised himself, and sought treatment from a traditional healer in another district.

The health ministry revealed that an Ebola patient died in a hospital in Uganda’s capital.

He was the 19th fatality of the current outbreak, but the first to die in Kampala.

In Uganda, there have been 54 confirmed cases, although none have been recorded in the city.

Twenty people, including five doctors from the first hospital where a case was treated, have recovered. They were released on Tuesday.

Authorities were already aware that the guy who died in Kampala had come into touch with the virus.

He was originally outside the city, but Health Minister Dr Jane Ruth Aceng said the man fled his village, disguised himself, and sought treatment from a traditional healer in another district.

He died last Friday at Kiruddu National Referral Hospital, although his death was only recently verified.

Dr. Aceng stated that the teams who treated him were aware of the dangers and had taken precautions because the patient came to the hospital in critical condition.

Forty-two people with whom he may have had contact have been identified and are being followed up on.

Ebola spreads between individuals through bodily fluid contact and contaminated settings. Funerals can be especially dangerous if mourners come into physical contact with the dead.

Dr. Aceng also stated that there are no additional confirmed Ebola cases in Kampala, despite the fact that the city and neighboring areas are deemed high risk.

The outbreak began in September in the Mubende area, which is located 80 kilometers (50 miles) west of the capital.

The first known Ebola death was a 24-year-old guy, and six members of his family also perished. Four health workers, including a doctor from Tanzania, have also been killed.

Previously, doctors had expressed worry about a lack of suitable personal protective equipment (PPE) such as gloves and masks. They had also requested that Mubende be quarantined.

President Yoweri Museveni, on the other hand, has ruled out such limitations, stating that “Ebola is not disseminated like corona[virus]” because it is not an airborne disease.

There is now no effective Ebola vaccine available since the Sudan strain spreading in central Uganda differs from the Zaire strain that has infected West Africa and the Democratic Republic of the Congo and can be immunized against.

Experts say it is impossible to expect Ebola to be eradicated, but with quick action and thorough contact tracing, it is now possible to avoid a crisis.

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