KAMPALA, June 11 (Xinhua) -- Uganda's minister of health late on Tuesday night announced that the east African country has registered an outbreak of the deadly Ebola Hemorrhagic fever.

Jane Ruth Aceng told reporters in a press conference telecast live that the index case is that of a five-year old boy in the western district of Kasese neighboring eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo where the outbreak is raging.

The country has been on high alert since the deadly disease broke out in eastern DRC.

Ebola and Marburg virus last broke out in Uganda in 2012. Ebola left over 20 people dead while Marburg killed at least nine people.

Ebola is a highly infectious disease spread through body contact with an infected person. It presents symptoms including high fever, bleeding, diarrhea and red eyes, among others, according to the World Health Organization.

Mortality rates of Ebola fever, according to the global health body are extremely high, with the human case fatality rate ranging from 50 percent to 89 percent, depending on viral subtype. Enditem

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