President Yoweri Museveni is scheduled on Tuesday evening precisely at 8pm to provide an update on the situation of Ebola outbreak in Uganda.
According to the Health Ministry of Uganda, a total of 1,086 contacts are actively being followed-up in seven districts of the East African country.
As of Thursday evening, the government reported it registered one newly confirmed EVD case – 23yr old female healthcare worker from Eastern Division, Mubende District.
The first case was confirmed on 19-Sep2022. Tuesday marks 59 days of response to the EVD outbreak.
On 20th September 2022, the Ministry of Health declared an outbreak of Sudan ebolavirus (SVD) after a case managed at Mubende Regional Referral Hospital (MRRH) in Mubende district was confirmed through testing at the Uganda Virus Research Institute (UVRI).
There are currently seven Ugandan districts affected by this outbreak: Bunyangabu, Kagadi, Kampala, Kassanda, Kyegegwa, Mubende and Wakiso.
Mubende district is reported to be the most affected, with 54.7% of all confirmed cases according to Uganda government.
President Museveni imposed a 21-day lockdown of Mubende and Kassanda districts on 15 October
Health Minister Ruth Jane Aceng said that “the lockdown of Mubende and Kassanda districts … will be extended for another 21 days.”
These include a dusk-to-dawn curfew, a ban on personal travel and the closure of markets, bars and churches.
Museveni has also ordered the police to arrest anyone infected with Ebola who refuses to isolate.
WHO has warned that there was a high risk of Ebola spreading further and called on neighboring countries to boost their preparedness.
Uganda’s last recorded fatality from a previous Ebola outbreak was in 2019.
The worst Ebola epidemic in West Africa between 2013 and 2016 killed more than 11,300 people.
