UGANDA: Ebola Outbreak Reported in Uganda, Victims Reported
An outbreak of the deadly Ebola Virus has been reported in Uganda in Kasese District which is located in the western region of Uganda. The district borders DRC Congo where the deadly virus continues to be a danger to many.
The outbreak in Kasese was announced by the Uganda Ministry of Health and the World Health Organization, WHO, on Tuesday, June 11. This is the first time the virus is confirmed in Uganda although the country has always remained alert following outbreaks in the neighbouring Democratic Republic of the Congo.
The confirmed case was of a five-year-old child from the Democratic Republic of the Congo who travelled with his family on Sunday June 9. The family entered the country through Bwera Border post and sought medical care at Kagando Hospital where health workers suspected Ebola as a possible cause of illness. The child was transferred to Bwera Ebola Treatment Unit for management.
As the news reached AMECEA Online, the information on the website of Kasese Guide Radio which is owned by the Catholic Diocese of Kasese indicate that the Ebola related death toll has risen to two after the health of the grandmother to the deceased child had worsened and was returned to Bwera Hospital by the DRC delegation.
Kasese Radio further reported that earlier during the meeting at Bwera Hospital the health minister Dr. Ruth Aceng has called for timely reporting of Ebola cases for timely management.
She also said they are going to vaccinate all the fifty contacted people currently under surveillance in Kasese District.
Addressing the press, the national coordinator of Ebola response in Butembo –Beni in the DRC, Dr. Gaston Tehaupenda said over one thousand people have died back home, blaming the situation to increasing consumption of tropical forest animals and some superstitions.
Meanwhile the Kasese District Health Officer Dr. Baseke Yusuf has asked all implementing partners to closely coordinate with his office for purposes of providing the required medical services.
The Kasese District Chairperson, Mr. Geoffrey Sibendire Bigogo has once again reiterated that going by the Policy of Uganda cannot stop people from crossing from DRC to Uganda. However, there’s need to curb illegal border movements by the citizens of the two countries.
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AMECEA Online News Correspondent
