LONDON—The latest eight Ebola cases reported during an outbreak in Uganda have no known connection to the current patient, the World Health Organization said Wednesday, raising concerns over the spread of the deadly disease. caused it.
In a briefing, the WHO said initial investigations by Uganda’s Ministry of Health showed they were not contacts of people already known to have Ebola.
WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told reporters: “We continue to be concerned that affected communities may have more chains and contacts than we know. increase.
There have been 60 confirmed and 20 probable cases since the outbreak began last month, with 44 deaths, according to the WHO.
The strain prevalent in Uganda is the Sudanese strain, and existing vaccines and treatments are ineffective.
However, the Ugandan government is working with WHO to start trials of two vaccines in early stages of development. One was developed by the University of Oxford and the Serum Institute and the other by the Sabin Institute in the United States, targeting the Sudanese strain. State, WHO confirmed.
The United States has also sent experimental treatments to help tackle the outbreak.
Uganda’s President Yoweri Museveni said on Saturday the government has implemented several lockdown measures in the Mubende and Kassanda districts of central Uganda, the epicenter of the outbreak, including restricting movement and closing places of worship and entertainment. said.
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