World in Photos: Ebola outbreak in Uganda — racing to contain the spread

It’s a disease that evokes fear and even terror. Ebola may be far less contagious than, say, covid-19, but its effects — which mimic hemorrhagic fever — are horrific and often deadly without treatment. This collection of photos is from Uganda, where the World Health Organization says an Ebola outbreak is “rapidly evolving,” one month after the first cases were found in a small farming community. Since then, the disease has infected 64 people and killed at least 24 in the East African nation. Officials in Uganda caution that others likely died of Ebola before the outbreak was confirmed.

One month later, cases have been found in the capital, Kampala, roughly 100 miles from the initial area of the outbreak, sparking fears that the disease could spread further. Local authorities have imposed lockdowns in communities where cases have been reported and warned of cross-border contamination. But Dr. Ahmed Ogwell, the acting head of the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said Thursday that despite those dangers, “it’s a manageable risk,” and therefore no need yet for what he called “full emergency mode.” Ebola is spread by contact with the bodily fluids of an infected person or contaminated materials; WHO and local officials say the imperative now is to isolate infected patients and trace and track their recent contacts.

These photos show some of these efforts underway in Mubende, near the epicenter of the outbreak. Health workers in the familiar hazmat suits, washing and disinfecting ambulances, and a photograph of health workers’ protective gear drying in the sun. Elsewhere, local officials conduct contact tracing interviews; a makeshift Ebola treatment unit; and people training for — and then actually performing — the grim work of conducting a funeral with all the proper health protocols in place.

In the short history of Ebola — it was discovered and named less than 50 years ago — Uganda has suffered often. This is the seventh known Ebola outbreak in the country; in 2000, more than 200 people died from Ebola. A wider outbreak in 2014-2016 in West Africa — the largest ever — took more than 11,000 lives. One must hope that this one will be contained before the numbers rise further.