Seven doctors being monitored for Ebola signs

Jul 31, 2012

Seven doctors of Mulago Hospital who treated an Ebola patient from Kibaale district have been placed under quarantine.

By Conan Businge

Seven doctors of Mulago Hospital who treated an Ebola patient from Kibaale district have been placed under quarantine.

This was done to prevent the spread of the deadly disease that has claimed 14 lives. Another 13 health workers, who accompanied the patient who died a few days ago, have also been quarantined, President Yoweri Museveni revealed yesterday.

In a statement on the outbreak of Ebola, Museveni cautioned Ugandans to avoid activities that could spread the disease.

Meanwhile, two more patients who are suspected to have contracted the deadly disease have been registered in Kibaale, according to the district health officer, Dr. Dan Kyamanywa.

By Sunday evening, there were five new cases. “We have taken samples from the patients for testing,” Kyamanywa said yesterday.

Fourteen people have so far died of Ebola in the last three weeks. The 13 died in Kibaale and one of them at Mulago Hospital, where she had been transferred.

Signs of Ebola

Ebola is a highly infectious disease, which presents with high grade fever and bleeding tendencies.

It is very infectious, kills in a short time but can easily be prevented.

The signs and symptoms of the disease include vomiting, diarrhoea, abdominal pain, headache, measles-like rash, red eyes, and sometimes bleeding from body openings.

It can be spread through contact with body fluids like saliva, blood, stool, vomit, urine and sweat from an infected person as well as soiled linen used by a patient.

Ebola can also be spread through sharing skin piercing instruments with an infected person.

History of Ebola in Uganda

 Ebola has been in Africa since 1976, when it first broke out in the Democratic Republic of Congo near River Ebola.

The disease is suspected to be contracted through contact with monkeys and other primates of the jungle.

Uganda’s first Ebola outbreak was in Gulu district in 2000. It killed 170 people and infected about 425 more.

Among the victims was Dr. Matthew Lukwiya, a medical superintendent of Lacor Hospital. Twelve nurses also lost their lives.

The Ebola outbreak in Gulu spread to Masindi, where fi ve deaths were registered. Kitgum and Mbarara also registered Ebola cases.

Uganda was declared Ebola free in February 2001.

In November 2007, there was another Ebola outbreak in Bundibugyo and 37 people were killed, including Dr. John Kule, an International Medical Group doctor who, like Lukwiya, struggled to treat victims, putting his own life at risk.

In May 2011, the third outbreak occurred in Luwero and a 12-year-old girl died shortly after being admitted at Bombo Military Hospital.

 

 

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