The 2022–2023 Uganda Ebola outbreak was an outbreak of the Sudan ebolavirus, which causes Ebola, from 20 September 2022 until 10 January 2023 in the Western and Central Regions of Uganda. Over 160 people were infected, including 77 people who died. It was Uganda's fifth outbreak with Sudan ebolavirus. The Ugandan Ministry of Health declared the outbreak on 20 September 2022. As of 25 October 2022, there were confirmed cases in the Mubende, Kyegegwa, Kassanda, Kagadi, Bunyanga, Kampala and Wakiso districts. As of 24 October 2022, there were a total of 90 confirmed or probable cases and 44 deaths. On 12 October, the first recorded death in the capital of Kampala occurred; 12 days later on 24 October, there had been a total of 14 infections in the capital in the last two days. On 11 January 2023 after 42 days without new cases the outbreak was declared over.
Background
Uganda has previously had four outbreaks of Sudan ebolavirus; one outbreak in 2000 and 2011 and two outbreaks in 2012, as well as an outbreak of Bundibugyo virus disease in 2007 and an Ebola virus disease outbreak in 2019.
Epidemiology
No human outbreaks of the Sudan ebolavirus have been reported in the last 10 years. Given that this is significantly longer than any reported case of persistent infection in human survivors of ebolavirus infection, this lends weight to the theory expressed by Kyobe Henry Bbosa, Ebola incident commander at Uganda's Ministry of Health, that this outbreak was caused by an unobserved spillover event from a wildlife reservoir. However, this putative spillover remains unidentified. The first cases were detected in the Mubende District among people living around a gold mine. Whilst the mobility of gold traders has been suggested to play a role in onward transmission from the site where the outbreak was first detected, no direct evidence of this has been forthcoming. As of 20 October, the eight most recent Ebola cases had no known contacts with known patients, suggesting incomplete contact tracing and unknown chains of transmission.
As of 5 November, a total of 132 confirmed cases had been identified; 39% of confirmed cases died, a total of 61 patients with confirmed Ebola have recovered from illness and been discharged. Cases have been found in seven districts including Mubende, Kassanda District, Kyegegwa District, Bunyangabu District, Kagadi District, Wakiso District, and the capital of Kampala. As of 8 November, 23 Ebola cases had been confirmed among pupils, hence education minister Janet Kataha Museveni announced schools across Uganda would close 25 November, two weeks before the scheduled end of term.
Timeline
On 11 September, the index case of the outbreak, a 24-year-old man in a village of the Mubende District developed symptoms of Ebola and died on 19 September.
On 20 September, the Ugandan health authorities declared an outbreak of Sudan ebolavirus in the Mubende District.
By 25 September, cases had been confirmed in Kyegegwa District and Kassanda District. On the 29th September Kagadi District confirmed its first case.
On 30 September, there were 38 confirmed cases and eight total deaths in confirmed cases.
On 1 October, physician Mohammed Ali, one of six infected health workers who treated the index case, died as the first health worker.
On 2 October, there were 41 confirmed cases and nine total deaths in confirmed cases. Furthermore, the Bunyanga District had its first confirmed case.
On 5 October, there were 43 confirmed cases and 29 reported deaths.
On 10 October, there were 63 confirmed or suspected cases and 29 reported deaths.
On 12 October, the first confirmed case and death in the capital of Kampala occurred, although he was believed to have fled from an already infected district.
On 20 October, there were 60 confirmed cases and 44 reported deaths. On the 22 October Wakiso District had confirmed its first case.
On 24 October, there were 90 confirmed cases and 28 confirmed deaths, with 14 confirmed cases reported in Kampala in the previous 48 hours.
On 26 October, the Ugandan Ministry of Health confirmed that there were 6 cases in school-aged children who attended classes at 3 different schools in the Rubaga Division of Kampala. One of the children died from the disease and 170 contacts were identified from these cases.
On 2 November Masaka District confirmed its first case and death after a 23-year-old woman came to Masaka from Kampala to be looked after by her parents and was admitted to a hospital on the 31 October and later died after being transferred back to Kampala.