Wakiso authorities issue health alert over mpox

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The Wakiso district authorities have announced that the Mpox cases are on the rise and passed a warning to the public to be alert.

According to the Chief Administrative Officer [CAO] of Wakiso district, Alfred Malinga, on February 26, 2025, Entebbe municipality registered 164 cumulative cases, Wakiso town council with 111 cumulative cases and Nansana division 59 cumulative cases.

Malinga added that the district had 561 cumulative cases, 40 active cases, 509 recoveries and 696 contacts under a follow up.

Malinga made the remarks during a press conference which was held at district headquarters on Friday and the purpose of the conference was to alert the public about the two threats of Ebola and Mpox in the district.

Malinga also revealed that the district has so far registered 4 Ebola cases and monitoring 72 contacts

“I wish to remind all the stakeholders present today and the general public that Ebola and Mpox are severe and often fatal viral illnesses and they spread through direct contact with infected body fruits or contaminated objects,” said Malinga.

The District Health Officer [DHO] of Wakiso district, Dr Emmanuel Mukisa, asked all the health care workers from both the public and private health facilities to maintain a high index of suspicion and report any suspicion to higher authorities for quicker attention and adhere to strict infection prevention and control measures.

Interventions

According to Dr Mukisa, Wakiso district has established an active task force, led by the Resident District Commissioner [RDC], Justin Mbabazi, to coordinate all the response pillars.

The district surveillance team has brightened their operations of contact tracing and listing for both Ebola and Mpox diseases.

Mukisa added that different stakeholders have been oriented for both Ebola and Mpox and included the teachers, councilors, health workers; village health teams (VHTS), cultural leaders, religious leaders and others.

Dr Mukisa, however, urged the public to avoid physical contact with people who present with the two diseases, always wash hands and stop handling dead bodies of people with signs of the two diseases.

The head of the task force in the district, Justine Mbabazi, appealed to the public not to take the two diseases for granted but to follow the advice of the district authorities, mainly the health workers.

Symptoms

Ebola comes with symptoms like high fever, chest pain, difficulty in breathing and bleeding from multiple body parts.

Malinga added that Mpox has related symptoms to Ebola like sudden onset fever, chest pain, fatigue, diarrhea, vomiting, unexplained bleeding, restlessness and many other symptoms.