Uganda Ebola outbreak death toll now 29 —WHO

GENEVA — Sixty-three confirmed and probable cases have been reported in the Ebola outbreak in Uganda, including 29 deaths, the World Health Organization (WHO) said Wednesday.

"Ten health workers have been infected and four have died," WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told a press conference, adding that four people had recovered and were receiving follow-up care.

Since the initial outbreak was discovered in the central district of Mubende, infections have been found in Kassanda, Kyegegwa and Kagadi.

But President Yoweri Museveni has vowed not to impose any lockdowns to tackle the disease, saying last week that there was "no need for anxiety."

Ebola is an often-fatal viral hemorrhagic fever named after a river in Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) where it was discovered in 1976.

Human transmission is through bodily fluids, with the main symptoms being fever, vomiting, bleeding and diarrhea.

Outbreaks are difficult to contain, especially in urban environments.

People who are infected do not become contagious until symptoms appear, which is after an incubation period of between two and 21 days.

There is currently no licensed medication to prevent or treat Ebola, although experimental drugs are in development. — Agence France-Presse