Uganda on alert as Ebola recurs in neighboring DR Congo

KAMPALA - Uganda's ministry of health on Wednesday said it is on alert after the deadly Ebola broke out in neighboring Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).

Health Minister Jane Ruth Aceng told reporters that they have increased surveillance along the border with DRC where a confirmed case was reported on Oct 6. The two countries have porous borders with border communities crossing without restrictions.

Aceng said the response team in DRC is tracking 100 contacts with the confirmed case.

"As part of our preparedness measures, surveillance has been intensified focusing on all travellers from DRC arriving Uganda through the various points of entry. Surveillance in border districts to DRC has also been heightened," the minister said.

Ebola is a highly contagious hemorrhagic fever that causes a range of symptoms including fever, vomiting, diarrhea, generalized pain or malaise and in many cases internal and external bleeding, according to the World Health Organization (WHO).

Mortality rates of the viral disease are extremely high, with the human fatality rate ranging from 50 percent to 89 percent, depending on viral subtype, according to the WHO.