Uganda's health ministry says a second person infected with the Ebola virus has died after a family exposed to the disease quietly crossed the border from Congo.
The first cross-border cases in this Ebola outbreak have prompted a World Health Organization expert committee to meet on Friday to discuss whether to declare a global health emergency.
Health ministry spokesman Emmanuel Ainebyoona on Thursday confirmed the death of the 50-year-old woman overnight.
This photo released by the International Rescue Committee (IRC) taken on June 12, 2019, shows a young Congolese refugee girl washing clothes outside one of the medical units used for evaluating newly arrived Congolese for potential symptoms of Ebola, at the Kyaka refugee settlement in western Uganda. A 5-year-old boy in Uganda vomiting blood became the first cross-border victim in the current Ebola outbreak on Wednesday, while his 3-year-old brother and grandmother tested positive for the disease that has killed nearly 1,400 people in Congo. (Kellie RyanInternational Rescue Committee via AP)
Her 5-year-old grandson was the first confirmed death from Ebola in Uganda. The boy's 3-year-old brother also is infected.
Congo's health ministry says all members of the Congolese-Ugandan family have agreed to be repatriated to Congo for experimental treatments as part of clinical trials.
The outbreak declared in eastern Congo in August has killed more than 1,400 people.
This photo released by the International Rescue Committee (IRC) shows a young Congolese refugee girl washing clothes outside one of the medical units used for evaluating newly arrived Congolese for potential symptoms of Ebola, at the Kyaka refugee settlement in western Uganda Wednesday, June 12, 2019. A 5-year-old boy in Uganda vomiting blood became the first cross-border victim in the current Ebola outbreak on Wednesday, while his 3-year-old brother and grandmother tested positive for the disease that has killed nearly 1,400 people in Congo. (Kellie RyanInternational Rescue Committee via AP)