Ebola Spread at Baby's Funeral

New cases suspected at Ugandan prison
By Rob Quinn,  Newser Staff
Posted Aug 3, 2012 4:09 AM CDT
Ebola Spread at Baby's Funeral
A medical worker from the the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention works at lab in Entebbe, Uganda.   (AP Photo/Stephen Wandera)

The Ebola outbreak gripping western Uganda spread widely at the funeral of the first known victim, a 3-month-old girl whose mother also died, according to Doctors Without Borders. Of the 65 people who attended the baby's funeral, 15 contracted the deadly disease and at least 11 of them have died, AP reports. The outbreak has killed at least 16 people so far, and the hospital at the center of the outbreak is now dealing with 30 more suspected cases, including five from a prison, reports CNN.

The government has urged Ugandans to avoid handshakes, casual sex, and home funerals, Reuters reports. People in western Uganda have been warned to avoid public gatherings and public transportation unless absolutely necessary. Health officials, hoping to make this outbreak less deadly than one in 2000 which killed more than 200 people, are isolating suspected victims and monitoring people they came into contact with. (More Ebola stories.)

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