Sudan virus disease outbreak in Uganda in 2022: the case of patient zero
Phillip Musoke, Felix Bongomin
Abstract
In 2000, Uganda reported the first Ebola disease outbreak, and since then, the nation has had several other outbreaks. CASE PRESENTATION: On September 15, 2022, a Ugandan man aged 24 years presented with a history of fever, hematemesis, and hematochezia. A clinical suspicion of a viral hemorrhagic fever was raised, the patient was isolated, and the authorities were notified. Clinical samples subjected to real-time polymerase chain reaction analysis confirmed Sudan virus disease (SVD) caused by the Sudan Ebola virus species. The patient died 3 days later. By November 30, 2022, there had been a total of 142 confirmed cases of SVD in Uganda, with 56 (39.4%) fatalities. The case described in this report is the first patient who was hospitalized during this outbreak. CONCLUSIONS: SVD has a high mortality rate despite the best supportive management. Therefore, it is important to focus on preventive measures to control outbreaks of this disease.