Researchers: Uganda's Ebola virus has evolved Researchers in Uganda say the Ebola virus spreading in the country has changed. Prof Ponti...

Researchers: Uganda's Ebola virus has evolved

Researchers in Uganda say the Ebola virus spreading in the country has changed.

Prof Pontiano Kaleebu of the Sudan Ebola Virus Research Institute says however there is no evidence that it can be infected beyond the original type.

They analyzed samples from the first known case tested during the current outbreak that has now spread to five districts in Central Uganda. So far, 44 cases have been reported and 10 people have died from the disease.

Researchers monitoring its spread say the nature of the virus is similar to that which caused another outbreak more than a decade ago in the same area. One person died at that time.

Studies conducted in the neighboring country of the Democratic Republic of the Congo show that frequent outbreaks can occur, but not more than two years after the first one is declared over.

So scientists believe that this outbreak may have been brought to humans by an animal. Now they are looking for the first person to have the disease - or their direct contact.

That would help response teams better understand how the explosions started.