The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued a health alert about an outbreak in Uganda of deadly Sudan virus disease, a viral hemorrhagic fever that is in the same family as Ebola.
On Wednesday, the CDC issued a Level 2 travel alert, which encourages travelers to practice enhanced precautions, because of the outbreak.
Uganda’s Ministry of Health declared an outbreak of Sudan virus disease on January 30 after getting confirmation from three national reference labs. A person showed symptoms of the disease between January 20 and 21, according to the World Health Organization, and died January 29 at a hospital in Kampala.
CDC’s Health Alert Network advisory issued Thursday gives a heads-up for health care providers and public health agencies to be on the lookout for potential cases.
“Currently, no suspected, probable, or confirmed Ebola cases related to this outbreak have been reported in the United States, or outside of Uganda,” the CDC said, and there are no direct flights from Uganda to the United States.
But it urges providers to get a detailed travel history from patients with suspected Sudan virus disease who have been in affected areas of Uganda so they can receive appropriate care and prevent the infection from spreading.
The CDC advises travelers to watch for symptoms of Sudan virus disease for 21 days after traveling to Uganda. Symptoms may include fever, chills, headache, muscle aches, chest pain, sore throat, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, rash, and unexplained bleeding or bruising.
In January, the Trump administration ordered CDC staff to cut communications with WHO in accordance with a January 20 executive order that withdrew the US from WHO. In this case, according to a CDC spokesperson, the CDC has been cleared to speak one-on-one with WHO counterparts related to response activities in Uganda, Tanzania and DRC.
The outbreak of Sudan virus disease has spread to the cities of Kampala, Mbale and Wakiso. Contact tracing by Ugandan public health workers found that, as of January 30, 45 people had contact with the initial patient: 11 family members and 34 health workers.
In previous outbreaks, Sudan virus disease has had a case fatality rate between 41% and 70%, according to WHO. There is no vaccine to prevent infection and no specific medicines to treat it.
The disease spreads easily through contact with blood and bodily fluids from someone who is sick and through contaminated objects like clothing or bedding.
Because it’s so contagious, Sudan virus disease carries a high risk of what WHO calls a “serious public health impact.”
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The CDC’s travel advisory encourages Americans to consider getting travel insurance before visiting Uganda, including health and medical evacuation insurance in case there are delays, injuries or illness during the trip.
The advisory tells travelers to avoid contact with sick people and contact with their bodily fluids, including blood and semen. It also urges people not to have contact with bodies of people who died or with items that have been in contact with them.