Search
  1. Home
  2. Southern Africa
  3. South Africa

Tests to be conducted to find the source of the Ebola virus

    JOHANNESBURG

    South African experts are to conduct tests on Ugandan wildlife in an attempt to find out whether animals such as bats may have served as carriers of the Ebola virus, state radio’s foreign service reported on Thursday. Health ministry spokesman Paul Kaggwa, said experts from the National Institute of Virology will conduct tests on animals and birds to see whether the virus is passed from wildlife to humans.

    A recent outbreak of the disease in Uganda has killed 115 people and infected another 210. Scientists are not sure which living creatures host the virus when there are no reported infections. Experts from the US Centre for Disease Control and Prevention have been in Uganda to help contain the disease.

    This article was produced by IRIN News while it was part of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. Please send queries on copyright or liability to the UN. For more information: https://shop.un.org/rights-permissions

    Share this article

    Our ability to deliver compelling, field-based reporting on humanitarian crises rests on a few key principles: deep expertise, an unwavering commitment to amplifying affected voices, and a belief in the power of independent journalism to drive real change.

    We need your help to sustain and expand our work. Your donation will support our unique approach to journalism, helping fund everything from field-based investigations to the innovative storytelling that ensures marginalised voices are heard.

    Please consider joining our membership programme. Together, we can continue to make a meaningful impact on how the world responds to crises.

    Become a member of The New Humanitarian

    Support our journalism and become more involved in our community. Help us deliver informative, accessible, independent journalism that you can trust and provides accountability to the millions of people affected by crises worldwide.

    Join