According to State Department cable seen by the New York Times, the Ebola outbreak in Uganda appeared to be on a retreat, but claims new casualties.
News of the child's death despite the Trump administration cancelling at least four of five contracts with organizations that helped manage the outbreak. I also placed an Ebola response manager in USAID on administrative leave.
Uganda's Ministry of Health notified US authorities of their death on Thursday. The confirmed lawsuit has not yet been released by the Uganda government or the World Health Organization, but federal officials involved in the response warned the White House on Thursday night.
“Continued support from termination awards is not only essential to saving lives, but also to protect the health and security of the US and the global community,” Uganda U.S. Ambassador William W. Pop wrote in Cable.
Uganda has experienced a severe Ebola outbreak that appears to be retreating since January. In the new case, the total number, including two deaths, is 10. The first known fatality, 32-year-old nurse was reported in late January.
The boy's family had sought care for him in three different hospitals, Cable said, and he died at the third at Murago National Referral Hospital in Kampala. His three brothers were ill, but have reportedly recovered, according to the father of the child.
The boy's mother and her newborn died in January of unknown causes, Cable said.
The boy's death shows that the virus is still circulating, and according to Cable, the country has returned to a more positive response. Ugandan officials began sequencing the virus by investigating the death, tracing child contacts.
USAID has been heavily involved in Uganda's Ebola response, but in recent weeks the Trump administration has hampered its activities, cutting the number of people involved in the outbreak from over 50 to over six.
USAID is not the only supporter of outbreak response, but it was important. For example, federal administrations for strategic preparation and response may offer treatment, and USAID may purchase filter pumps that provide treatment.
The fired USAID contract funded Ebola screening and healthcare workers' protection devices at Uganda airports, and helped prevent communication by survivors of the disease, according to a former agency official who called for fear of retaliation to remain anonymous.
At an airport in Entebbe, Uganda, officials say screenings have been suspended for more than two weeks as the Trump administration freezes due to a freeze on foreign aid. The group that was doing that, the International Migration Agency, decided a few days ago to resume work with its own funds. That contract ended Wednesday night.
The first Ebola patient in the current outbreak went to six health facilities before he passed away, urging the Ugandan government to seek medical workers' protective equipment from the United States.
USAID stocks such gear in its warehouse in Nairobi, Kenya. However, the employee is prohibited from communicating with the WHO that managed the facility.
USAID authorities ultimately paid about $100,000 to source protective equipment elsewhere, but their contract with the provider has also been cancelled.
US officials seeking to contain the Ebola outbreak are trying to restore the contract. It says it is important to prevent the disease from spreading to other countries, including the United States.
“The suspension of partner activity poses a significant risk to Uganda's ability to respond effectively and contain the virus,” Cable said.
