Hoima Suspected Ebola Case Tests Negative

Health authorities have ruled out a possible Ebola outbreak in Hoima District after laboratory results from a suspected patient returned negative. The suspected case involved a 50-year-old man from Runga Landing Site on the shores of Lake Albert in Kiganja Sub-county, who was isolated at Hoima Regional Referral Hospital on Sunday after presenting with Ebola-like symptoms.

According to health officials, the patient initially sought treatment after suffering from a severe headache but later developed additional symptoms, including fever, loss of appetite, vomiting blood, and bleeding through the nose. The symptoms prompted medical staff at the hospital to isolate him and collect blood samples for further testing.

The samples were sent to the Central Emergency Surveillance and Response Support Laboratory in Wandegeya for analysis. Acting Hoima District Health Officer Dr. Lawrence Tumusiime confirmed that the laboratory tests returned negative for Ebola.

Despite the negative results, health authorities say surveillance and prevention measures remain heightened across the district due to the ongoing Ebola outbreak concerns in Uganda and neighboring Democratic Republic of Congo.Dr. Tumusiime said health personnel have been deployed along the Uganda–DR Congo border in Hoima District to conduct routine screening of travelers entering Uganda through Lake Albert water routes.

Ebola Virus Disease is a severe and often fatal illness transmitted through direct contact with bodily fluids of infected persons, contaminated surfaces, infected animals, or the bodies of people who have died from the disease.