Uganda today confirmed an outbreak of the highly contagious Ebola virus in the country, the Ministry of Health announced, clarifying that the outbreak is linked to the Bundibugyo strain.

According to local authorities, the outbreak was “imported” from the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). One patient died in an intensive care unit on May 14 after developing symptoms of hemorrhagic fever.

In the DRC, 246 suspected cases and 65 deaths have been recorded. The Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention convened an emergency meeting with authorities from the DRC, Uganda, South Sudan, and international partners in order to strengthen cross-border surveillance and reinforce response efforts.

Ebola remains frequently fatal despite treatments and vaccines developed in recent years. Since the first cases were identified in 1976 in what was then Zaire, now the Democratic Republic of Congo, at least 15,000 people in Africa have died from the disease.

The virus is transmitted through bodily fluids, and the main symptoms include fever, bleeding, and diarrhea.