Uganda has confirmed three new cases of the Ebola virus, raising the total number of infections in the current outbreak to five. The announcement by Uganda’s Ministry of Health on Saturday comes as authorities intensify contact tracing efforts to curb the virus's spread.

The new infections include a driver who transported Uganda's first confirmed Ebola patient and a healthcare worker who was exposed while caring for that initial patient. Both individuals are currently receiving treatment and were identified through existing contact tracing networks, according to a statement from the Ministry of Health.

The third new case is a woman from the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) who initially entered Uganda with mild symptoms. She traveled from Arua near the border to Entebbe before seeking care at a private hospital in the capital, Kampala. After an initial improvement and return to the DRC, she later tested positive for Ebola following a follow-up investigation prompted by a pilot involved in her transport.

This development follows the World Health Organization's (WHO) revision of the risk assessment for the Bundibugyo strain of Ebola. The WHO now considers the risk "very high at the national level, high at the regional level, and low at global level." The Bundibugyo strain is known for its significant fatality rate, with up to a 50 percent death rate and no currently approved vaccine.

Uganda had previously suspended all public transport to the DRC on Thursday after confirming its first two cases: one infection and one death, both involving Congolese nationals who had crossed the border. The ongoing outbreak in the neighboring DRC has seen nearly 750 suspected cases and 177 suspected deaths, according to recent reports.

Factors contributing to the vulnerability in the DRC, as noted by the WHO, include late detection of cases, the absence of a specific vaccine or virus-specific therapeutics, ongoing armed violence, and high population mobility. These challenges complicate containment efforts.

The Ministry of Health has stated that all identified contacts linked to the confirmed cases are under close monitoring. The public is urged to remain vigilant and report any suspected symptoms promptly. "At this critical moment in the outbreak response, it is vital that authorities maintain high vigilance to control expansion of the virus," WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said.

The WHO is collaborating with the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention and other partners in both the DRC and Uganda to manage the outbreak, provide support to affected individuals, and strengthen a coordinated response mechanism. The focus remains on containing the virus and preventing further transmission.