(AP) — The aid group Doctors Without Borders says the first victim of the latest Ebola outbreak in Uganda was a 3-month-old girl and that of the 65 people who attended her funeral, 15 later contracted the deadly disease.
At least 11 of those who attended the baby's funeral have since died, the group said in a statement on Wednesday.
Funerals in Uganda are typically elaborate affairs that draw huge crowds. In a national address this week, Uganda's president urged people to avoid unnecessary contact with each other and discouraged handshakes. Doctors Without Borders says that while that is good advice people without symptoms are not contagious, and avoiding contact with others' bodily fluids is the best way to limit an Ebola outbreak.
Ebola is highly infectious and kills quickly.
Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
