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The Ebola outbreak in Uganda, which had seemed to be in retreat, has claimed a new victim: a 4-year-old boy who died on Monday, according to a State Department cable viewed by The New York Times.
News of the child’s death comes even as the Trump administration has canceled at least four of the five contracts with organizations that helped manage the outbreak. It also placed the manager of the Ebola response at U.S.A.I.D. on administrative leave.
Uganda’s Ministry of Health informed U.S. officials of the death on Thursday. The confirmed case has not yet been announced by the Ugandan government nor the World Health Organization, but federal officials involved in the response alerted the White House on Thursday night.
“Continued support from the terminated awards is not only vital to save lives but also vital in protecting the health and security of the United States and global community,” William W. Popp, the U.S. ambassador to Uganda, wrote in the cable.
Uganda has experienced a serious Ebola outbreak since January that had appeared to be receding. The new case brings the total number of cases to 10, including two deaths. The first known fatality, a 32-year-old nurse, was reported in late January.
The boy’s family had sought care for him at three different hospitals, the cable said, and he died at the third, Mulago National Referral Hospital in Kampala. His three siblings were reportedly ill but have recovered, according to the child’s father.