The Sudan and Ebola viruses both come from the orthoebola virus family. Outbreaks of this virus are relatively rare. This new outbreak is the ninth to have been recorded since 1976 when the virus was first identified and – as was practice at the time – named after the location where this first outbreak took place, southern Sudan. Laboratory testing is needed to differentiate between the diseases, though the urgent need for isolation remains.
![[Uganda's Minister of Health Jane Ruth Aceng receives boxes containing one of three candidate vaccines against the Sudan strain of the Ebola virus, in Entebbe, Uganda, on Dec. 8, 2022]](https://static.independent.co.uk/2025/02/03/06/WHO_US_Withdrawal_11467.jpg)
When cases were confirmed, most known contacts who developed symptoms were referred to specialist units for testing and hospital care. These referrals typically happened in October, and the outbreak was declared over by the end of November 2022. Although we lack vital tools such as effective vaccines and drugs, contact tracing and appropriate infection control can contain serious outbreaks such as these.
![[A health worker prepares to administer a vial of a vaccine against the Sudan strain of Ebola]](https://static.independent.co.uk/2025/02/11/10/Uganda_Ebola_58697.jpg)
