October 13, 2022
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) issued a Health Advisory on October 6, 2022, in response to a confirmed outbreak of the Ebola virus disease (EVD) in Uganda. This is the fifth outbreak of the Sudan virus since 2000. Uganda has confirmed a total of 44 cases since October 6, 2022.
There are no reported cases in the Unites the States or other countries. EVD is currently contained to only Uganda.
How to recognize an EVD infection
EVD symptoms include fever, headache, body aches and pains, weakness/tired, stomach/intestine symptoms, no appetite and bleeding.
EVD is contagious once a person has symptoms, but it is not spread through airborne particles such as COVID-19. It is spread through direct contact with body fluids of an infected person or animals or from those who died of EVD. Needles contaminated with EVD can also spread the disease.
What to do if a patient presents with EVD symptoms
If a patient has symptoms as described above, get a detailed travel history and put them in a private room during the clinical evaluation. Note: When conducting further testing for EVD, also consider testing for malaria.
Contact your health department immediately and follow the protocols for patient assessment to help prevent the spread of EVD. California clinicians can contact the California Department of Public Health (CDPH) at 916-328-3605, 24 hours a day.
An index of public health offices by county is available on the CDPH web site.
Is there a treatment for EVD
Currently, there is no Food and Drug Administration-approved vaccine to protect against the Sudan virus.
Without early diagnosis and supportive care, EVD has a high mortality rate. With intense supportive care and fluid replacement, mortality rates may be lowered.
Additional resources
More information about EVD, including clinical and laboratory considerations for specimen handling, can be found directly from the CDC’s Health Advisory.
