First child dies of Ebola in new outbreak in Uganda

Save the Children is distressed to learn a five-year-old boy diagnosed with Ebola in Uganda on Tuesday has died from the illness. The child was isolated and admitted for treatment, but medics were unable to save him. Another two cases have now been confirmed, bringing the total number of cases in Uganda in the past 24 hours to three.

The child’s death highlights the vulnerability of children to Ebola, and Save the Children is warning that governments, donors and agencies must act immediately to prevent further deaths.

Rachel Logel-Carmichael, Head of Humanitarian Affairs at Save the Children Canada said:

“In any crisis, children are the most vulnerable. This five-year-old boy was the first confirmed Ebola case in Uganda, and was diagnosed just a few miles from the Congolese border. The Ebola outbreak is already devastating lives and communities in eastern Congo – where women, along with children, face an increased risk of becoming infected by the virus. Approximately, 59 per cent of the total Ebola cases in the DR Congo are women because of their role in caretaking and in burials.”

The spread of misinformation and community mistrust about Ebola continues to be a major factor in its spread in DRC. Save the Children urges donors to invest more in community-led prevention activities in Uganda. It is vital that donors invest in strengthening and supporting the existing work of development and humanitarian partners who over the years have built up strong relationships with communities, district officials and Village Health Teams. These teams have extensive local knowledge and experience of carrying out successful community campaigns. It is critical that community engagement is inclusive and reaches all members of the community, including women and girls and boys.

Brechtje van Lith, Save the Children’s Country Director in Uganda, said:

“Ebola is a horrific illness that ravages the human body. We’ve been told this young boy was diagnosed after showing severe symptoms of Ebola, including vomiting blood. This first death, of a child, is a sickening reminder of the dangers of this disease.

“We are particularly concerned about the remaining stigma in some communities around Ebola, which can hinder the efforts of health teams and cause the disease to spread faster.”

In response to these first cases of Ebola to hit Uganda, Save the Children is scaling up its existing prevention activities, including community awareness and mobilization sessions and training village health teams.

Western Uganda is already struggling to cope with an influx of Congolese refugees – nearly 20,000 so far this year alone and more than 300,000 in total. Services for refugees are severely overstretched and the response is critically underfunded, with just 2% of the money needed for 2019 committed by donors so far. Critical Ebola screening facilities in refugee settlements and host communities urgently need upgrading.

For the past year, Save the Children has been working with local communities and district authorities in western Uganda to help mitigate the spread of the outbreak. The agency has trained more than 1,000 Ugandan health workers, volunteers, teachers, village health teams and laboratory staff on key steps to prevent and respond to cases; provided key Infection Prevention Control materials at health facilities and points of entry; and installed handwashing facilities in rural communities to reduce the risk. If the disease spreads further in Uganda Save the Children is also ready to ensure critical child protection and psychosocial services for children and families affected by Ebola.

ENDS