Spread of Ebola tracked in Uganda

BWERA, Uganda — The Congolese pastor who is thought to have caused the Ebola outbreak’s spread into Uganda was unknown to health officials before he died of the disease, the World Health Organization’s emergencies chief said Thursday. That underlines the problems in tracking the virus as a WHO expert panel today discusses whether to declare a global health emergency.

As a third person infected with Ebola died in Uganda, Dr. Mike Ryan said he did not believe the man had been on any list of high-risk Ebola contacts that health workers use to track infections and contain the outbreak.

Three of the pastor’s family members were infected with Ebola when they traveled from Uganda to Congo to visit him. His 5-year-old grandson became the first Ebola case in Uganda and the first death after several family members quietly returned home on footpaths that bypassed border screening for the disease. The boy’s grandmother and 3-year-old-brother have since died, Ugandan officials said Thursday.

The pastor’s positive test for Ebola came back only after he was buried, Dr. Dominique Kabongo, coordinator of Ebola response teams in Kasindi, said. Family members traditionally wash and dress the corpse.

More than 80 people attended the burial, Kabongo said.

The first cross-border cases in this Ebola outbreak — the second-deadliest in history — have prompted the WHO expert committee to again consider declaring a global health emergency after twice deciding against it. Such declarations almost always boost attention and donor funding.

Ryan said there is no evidence Ebola is spreading within Uganda and that authorities have contained the virus to the family.