Monitor medics

THE Superintendent of Lacor Hospital in Gulu has succumbed to the dreaded Ebola fever. Dr Matthew Lukwiya, who was taken ill last Thursday, died yesterday after selfless service in the fight against the dreaded haemorrhagic fever that has taken over 150 lives. Most of the dead have been in Gulu, though there have been isolated cases in Masindi and Mbarara. Significantly, more than 10 of the fatalities have been medical workers. Lukwiya became the 13th medic to die, the others having been nurses who have worked the wards of Lacor and Gulu hospitals since the epidemic broke out in early October. Ebola is a new disease whose behaviour is still confounding researchers around the world. While there is promise of a breakthrough following a report last week that American scientists had developed a vaccine that protects a certain species of monkey from the Ebola virus, we still have to rely on basic information and scrupulousness to combat the disease. Beyond preventive measures like protective gear and limited contact, containment is feasible. Before the Uganda outbreak, the fatality rate was between 50 and 90% of infected persons. But, happily, the Ugandan experience has re-written medical history because the rate has gone down to around 40% (only 153 of the reported 375 reported infections have resulted in death). Nevertheless, the fact that close to 10% of the reported deaths have been of medical workers is a small blemish on the otherwise excellent record of the Ebola task force. While not a complete guarantee, monitoring through regular screening of high risk yet critical persons like medical workers could go a long way in preventing fatal outcome. Regular checks would conceivably detect infection early and strengthen the odds for survival and recovery. Ends.