ISTANBUL / DOUALA, Cameroon

A male nurse died from Ebola in the Ugandan capital Kampala, the Health Ministry said on Thursday.

“An outbreak of Sudan Ebola Virus Disease has been confirmed in Kampala, Uganda,” Diana Atwine, permanent secretary to the Health Ministry said in a news briefing.

Sudan Ebola is one of six species of the Ebola virus.

The first documented patient is a 32-year-old nurse from Mulago National Referral Hospital in capital Kampala.

The patient, who had been suffering from fever, chest pain, breathing difficulties, and eventual “unexplained bleeding” over five days of illness, died on Wednesday at Mulago National Referral Hospital due to multi-organ failure, the ministry said.

“Currently, no other health care worker or patient on the ward has presented with signs or symptoms of Ebola,” it added.

So far, 44 contacts have been identified, the ministry said.

The East African country last reported an outbreak of Sudan Ebola in late 2022 with the overall count at 55 fatalities and 143 cases.

There is currently no licensed vaccine against Sudan Ebola virus, according to the World Health Organization.

Separately, the Central African Republic's Health Ministry declared 12 suspected cases of Rift Valley fever on Thursday. These cases were reported in the northwestern sub-prefecture of Ngaoundaye, with health authorities saying they are assessing the situation in order to strengthen the response.