A border health officer at the Busunga crossing between Uganda and the Democratic Republic of Congo checks a traveller's temperature last week

Three new Ebola cases confirmed in Uganda

· RTE.ie

Uganda said on Saturday it had confirmed three new cases of Ebola, bringing to five the total since the virus outbreak was discovered in the east African country on 15 May.

"Three new cases of the Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) have been confirmed in the country," the health ministry said, naming the patients as a Ugandan driver, a Ugandan health worker and a woman from the neighbouring Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), the epicentre of a deadly outbreak sowing fear in the region.

"The ministry continues to strengthen surveillance, case management, contact tracing and public awareness efforts to contain the outbreak and protect the health and safety of all Ugandans," it said in a statement on X.

The news came a day after the World Health Organization said the risk from the outbreak had been raised to the highest level for the DRC.

On Thursday, Uganda suspended all public transport to the DRC after confirming two cases of Ebola - one infection and one death - involving Congolese nationals who crossed the border.

Bundibugyo strain vaccines and treatments in development

A man walks through the burned remains of a destroyed Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) emergency tent in Mongbwalu, DRC

Global health authorities are racing to identify medical options to help contain the Ebola outbreak, which is linked to the Bundibugyo strain of the virus.

Unlike the more common Zaire strain, there are no approved vaccines or treatments for Bundibugyo.

About 177 suspected deaths and almost 750 suspected cases have been reported in the outbreak, and the World Health Organization has warned the numbers are likely to rise. Bundibugyo ebolavirus (BDBV) has a fatality rate of up to 40%.

A small number of experimental vaccines and therapies are being assessed, and global health authorities are examining whether any existing Ebola medical options might offer protection - so far supported only by limited animal data.

Most candidates have not yet been tested in humans and would require emergency or compassionate-use authorization for deployment in DRC.

The US missionary who tested positive for Ebola and is undergoing treatment in a German hospital has been given drugs aimed at reducing disease symptoms after exposure to the virus and other therapies, US health officials said yesterday.

The World Health Organization, which has declared the outbreak an emergency of international concern, said yesterday that Gilead Sciences' GILD.O experimental antiviral pill obeldesivir was a promising option. It has said it could take as long as six to nine months to develop a vaccine.