Highlights:
· On January 30th, the Uganda Ministry of Health declared an outbreak of the Sudan Virus Disease (SUDV) following confirmation from three national reference laboratories.
· SUDV is a viral hemorrhagic fever disease, belonging to the same family as Ebola virus disease. It is a severe disease with high case fatality.
· The confirmed case was an adult male nurse who initially developed fever-like symptoms (January 20-21) and sought treatment from a traditional healer as well as at multiple health facilities. The patient experienced multi-organ failure and died at the National Referral Hospital on January 29.
· Forty-five contacts have so far been identified, including 34 healthcare workers and 11 family members.
· In response, the Uganda Ministry of Health (MoH) has instituted the following measures:
o An Incident Management Team has been activated and Rapid Reaction Teams have been dispatched to the affected areas.
o The Regional Emergency Operation Centers has been activated.
o The MoH has organized a safe and dignified burial of the patient.
· On February 3rd, the World Health Organization (WHO) and their partners launched the first-ever trial for a candidate vaccine against SUDV:
o The candidate vaccine was donated by IAVI with financial support from WHO, the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations, Canada’s International Development Research Centre and the European Commission's Health Emergency Preparedness and Response Authority and support from the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention.
Sources:
· WHO Disease Outbreak News, Sudan Virus Disease
· WHO African Region Twitter Page
· Uganda Ministry of Health Twitter Page
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