Uganda has confirmed an outbreak of the Ebola virus in the capital Kampala with the first confirmed patient dying from it on Wednesday, the health ministry said on Thursday. It is the East African country's ninth outbreak since it recorded its first infection of the viral disease in 2000.

After the first Ebola death in Uganda in years, a senior health official says authorities in the African nation are "in full control of the situation."

Health authorities say they've identified at least 44 contacts of the deceased, including 30 hospital staff and patients.