Three new Ebola cases confirmed in Uganda

Three new cases of Ebola Virus Disease have been confirmed in Uganda, bringing the total number of confirmed infections to five in the country, said Uganda's Ministry of Health on Saturday.

These are the first locally detected Ebola cases recorded in Uganda since an outbreak began in the neighboring Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).

Two of the newly confirmed patients are Ugandan nationals linked to the country's first confirmed case. One is a driver who transported the index patient -- the first known case of the infectious disease, while the other is a health worker who was exposed while caring for the patient. Both are currently receiving treatment, the ministry said.

The third case is a Congolese woman from the DRC. She entered Uganda with mild abdominal symptoms, flew on a chartered flight from Arua to Entebbe, and sought care at a private Kampala hospital on May 10. Health officials launched an investigation after receiving a report from the pilot who flew her, the ministry said.

The authorities said all contacts associated with the confirmed cases have been identified and are being closely monitored.

The ministry urged the public to remain calm and continue adhering to preventive measures, stressing that early treatment significantly improves survival rates.

Uganda has intensified surveillance, case management, contact tracing and public awareness to contain the outbreak, said the ministry.

Three new Ebola cases confirmed in Uganda

China saw 20,113 newly established foreign-funded firms in the January-April period, up 6.8 percent year on year, with actual foreign investment hitting 287.69 billion yuan (about 42 billion U.S. dollars), data released by the Ministry of Commerce showed on Saturday.

High-tech sectors saw notable foreign investment growth. Actual use of foreign investment in these industries reached 116.33 billion yuan (about 17 billion U.S. dollars), up more than 20 percent year on year and accounting for over 40 percent of the national total — a rise of 10 percentage points from a year earlier.

Research, development and design services, computer and office equipment manufacturing, and electronic and communication equipment manufacturing all posted strong growth. By country, Switzerland, France, and the U.S. saw significant increases in actual investment in China.

Currently, China's total accumulated foreign direct investment exceeds 3.6 trillion U.S. dollars.

The vast majority of foreign-invested enterprises already in China have chosen to deepen their presence and continue expanding their investment. In the first four months of this year, more than 3,000 foreign-funded firms made additional investments.

High-tech foreign investment in China up 20.3 pct in first four months