Ebola outbreak: Second Patient dies from outbreak in Uganda

A second person has now died from Ebola in Uganda, following an outbreak in the neighbouring Democratic Republic of Congo, health officials have said. The victim was said to be a grandmother.

The Congolese women’s death came two days after her five year old grandson passed away late on Tuesday, after crossing over from the DRC.

Officials have said that two further patients are being kept in isolation - the boy’s three year old brother and a 23 year old Ugandan man who has shown signs of symptoms.

Nearly 1,400 people have died from the the virus in the DRC since August of more than 2,000 cases uncovered.

An experimental but apparently effective vaccine is being deployed for the first time. Uganda vaccinated some 4,700 health workers, the World Health Organisation (WHO) has announced.

“The spread of Ebola across the international border is a clear signal that the international community must reset and redouble it’s efforts” in combatting the disease, the International Rescue Committee stated on Wednesday.

Experts have long feared the virus could spread to neighbouring countries, because of rebel attacks and residents resistance to authorities hampering containment work in eastern Congo, one of the world's most turbulent regions.

The virus spreads quickly though close contact with bodily fluids of those infected and can be fatal in up to nine in ten cases. The WHO expert committee has twice decided that this outbreak, while of “deep cancer,” is not yet a global health emergency. However international spread is one of the major criteria the UN Agency considers before making a declaration. It has been advised against travel restrictions.