EBOLA | LOCKDOWN | ACENG

LIRA - The Government has extended the restrictions aimed at controlling the spread of Ebola in the country for 21 more days.

The pronouncement was made Saturday, November 5, 2022, evening, by health minister Dr Jane Ruth Aceng on behalf of President Yoweri Museveni.

Aceng, who made the pronouncement while updating the country on the Ebola virus disease outbreak and containment measures, said the decision to extend the restrictions was arrived at during the national task force meeting held on Friday, November 4, 2022.

On October 15, 2022, President Museveni directed restriction of movement into and out of the districts of Kassanda and Mbende and issued other containment measures to control the spread of Ebola.

Evidence of transmission

Aceng said the presidential directive on restricted movements was to give the opportunity to various ministries, departments and agencies, together with partners to optimise control efforts of the two districts and minimise the spread of the disease to other areas.

She said while great work has been done, there is evidence of transmission in these epicentre districts. The spread of disease she attributed to movements of contacts and symptomatic individuals for health services

Progress in Mubende

According to Aceng, in Mbende district, the number of cases has slightly reduced because of the vigilance of the population after understanding the dangers of Ebola and their determination to end the epidemic.

“More work still needs to be done for the district to be completely free from Ebola,” she said.

Slow progress in Kassanda

In Kassanda, she said progress has been slow because of the challenge of the weak health care system, myths and misinformation and belief in witchcraft, coupled with the unbecoming behaviour of exhumation of dead bodies to perform cultural rituals.

She gave an example of one exhumed body from which up to 43 people have been since been infected with Ebola, six of them have succumbed to the disease, hence the number of cases in the district is increasing.

Aceng also said drug shops, pharmacies and private clinics in this epicentre district have been reported as contributing to the spread of the infection among the population.

“Therefore, to minimise the spread of Ebola within these districts and to protect the rest of the country from continued exposure, all directives issued by the president of Uganda on October 15, 2022, will be extended for another 21 days,” Aceng said.

She noted that the outbreak epicentre remains Mubende and Kasanda. In Mubende, the most affected sub-counties are Madudu, Kiruuma and the eastern division of the municipality while in Kassanda, the Kalwana and specifically Kikandwa parish is most affected.

 Drugshops, health facilities to be inspected

In addition, Aceng said all private healthcare facilities and drug shops in Kasanda and Mbende shall be inspected and assessed for conformity with infection, prevention and control standards.

“All those who do not meet the required standards will be temporarily closed and health care workers trained by the health ministry to improve their knowledge and practice of infection prevention,” Aceng said.

Here she said the health regulatory authority will be required to support the ministry of health in this exercise to protect the lives of the health workers and ensure a safe working environment.

Situation in Kampala under control

She said the situation in Kampala remains under control as the health ministry and partners continue to follow up on the contacts.

Aceng called upon the public to cooperate with the health workers and report anybody with signs and symptoms similar to those of Ebola early enough not only to improve the survival of the patient but also to protect the rest of the population.

“Do not run away to another redistrict when you have had the contact, you will run away with the disease and you will eventually die. In addition, spreading the disease to other parts of the country exposes many people to infection and makes the epidemic more difficult to control,” she said.

Statistics

According to Aceng, as of Saturday, a total of 132 cases have been confirmed, 53 have died, 61 have recovered, while 18 confirmed cases are on admission and receiving treatment in both Mbende and Entebbe Ebola treatment units.