US hospitals brace for Ebola as Uganda reports isolated Marburg case

U.S. health authorities are updating clinical guidance for hospitals after two imported Bundibugyo Ebola cases were identified in Europe – one in France and a U.S. citizen evacuated to Germany. The outbreak, declared a WHO Public Health Emergency of International Concern, has produced 1,333 confirmed cases and 399 deaths in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, with additional spread to Uganda. The CDC has issued a Health Alert Network advisory, placed entry restrictions on travelers from the DRC, Uganda and South Sudan, and activated screening at major U.S. airports serving those regions.

In Uganda, health officials confirmed an isolated Marburg virus case in a 1½‑year‑old child from Kyegegwa district. No contacts have shown symptoms and the WHO has been notified. Uganda is simultaneously managing a Bundibugyo Ebola outbreak linked to the conflict in the DRC, reporting 20 Ebola cases and two deaths. Both the WHO and Africa CDC are providing support for investigation, contact tracing and community engagement.