Ebola is spreading

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02/11/2000 16:00 - (SA) Ebola is spreading

Kampala - A soldier in southwestern Uganda has died after contracting the deadly Ebola virus, marking the first confirmed case of the disease spreading outside the northern district of Gulu, a senior health ministry official said on Thursday.

The disease, which broke out in Gulu in mid-September, has killed 81 people.

The soldier's death on Friday in the southwestern town of Mbarara was confirmed by a team from the US Centres for Disease Control (CDC) who have set up a temporary laboratory in Gulu, health services director Sam Okware told AFP by telephone from Mbarara.

"We confirmed that a man, who died last week, had tested positive for Ebola antigens. One other person, who attended the sick man, is currently under observation in hospital here," Okware said.

Another health official said the soldier had been based in Gulu before returning to his hometown in Mbarara.

The soldier had been handling patients at a barracks' sickbay in Mbarara. - Sapa-AFP

http://news.24.com/News24/Africa/East_Africa/0,1113,2-11-997_934931,00.html

-- Martin Thompson (mthom1927@aol.com), November 02, 2000


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