Uganda: Ebola virus outbreak kills 14 people.

On July 30, the Ugandan government advised citizens to avoid shaking hands and other physical contact after the first death from Ebola was reported in the capital, Kampala.

In a televised address to the nation, Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni said that 14 patients had died since the Ebola virus outbreak began in western Uganda three weeks ago.

Mr. Museveni urged people to avoid direct contact such as shaking hands to prevent the spread of the virus.

Ebola virus. (Source: Guardian)

Uganda's Ministry of Health has confirmed the latest death to be a healthcare worker at Mulago Hospital in Campala. Seven doctors and 13 other healthcare workers at the hospital are currently in quarantine due to contact with the patient.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), Ebola is one of the most dangerous viruses discovered in humans. People infected with the virus experience symptoms such as high fever, muscle aches, vomiting, and diarrhea.

In some cases, patients may experience organ failure and uncontrollable bleeding. The Ebola virus spreads through contact with blood, bodily fluids, or body parts of an infected person.

The incubation period, from infection with the virus to the appearance of the first symptoms, ranges from 2 to 21 days, depending on the individual case.

Scientists have discovered five strains of the Ebola virus, three of which cause mortality rates ranging from 25-90%.

Currently, there is no cure or vaccine for this deadly virus in the world.

The Ebola virus was first discovered in the Democratic Republic of Congo in 1976 and named after a river in the country. Since then, approximately 1,850 people have been diagnosed with hemorrhagic fever due to infection with this virus, and 1,200 of them have died.

In 2007, the Ebola virus caused the deaths of 37 people in western Uganda, and had previously killed around 170 people in the north of the country in 2000.

According to VNA - NT