Suspected Ebola patients escape from health centre

Three people who had been put under isolation, suspected to have gotten in contact with Ebola patients have escaped from the health facility.

The three were admitted at Kihihi Health Centre IV in Kanungu district on Tuesday and their blood samples were taken to Entebbe for testing.

They have escaped before the results returned.

The deputy RDC Kanungu, Emmy Ngabirano, said the suspects entered the country from the Democratic Republic of Congo on Tuesday looking for medical care in Uganda and were taken to Kihihi Health Centre for examination.

The in charge, Dr Joshua Asiimwe, said the patients were Saddi Muhima, 46, his 19-year-old son Issa Muhima from Binza, Kisharu in DR Congo and Milton Nsenga of Nyamwisi in DR Congo.

"They were complaining of fever and dizziness and we suspect that they could be having Ebola virus. So, we put them in an isolated ward as we waited for the results from the blood samples taken from them," he said.

He said they escaped on Thursday evening and hoped they had returned to Congo. He added that there is a risk that they spent a night in other families, which could expose many people to Ebola.

Ngabirano says the security personnel together with a team of health experts are busy looking for them to avoid hiding in public and end up spreading the disease in the district.