Ugandan president puts capital city on Ebola response alert

President Yoweri Museveni of Uganda on Monday put the country’s capital, Kampala, on a high Ebola response alert as the country grapples with the deadly disease.

Museveni in a tweet said two cases tested positive in Kampala which came from Mubende, the epicentre of the outbreak, however, there are contacts to the cases and a risk of infection.

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“For Kampala city, the two cases that tested positive came from Mubende district and are regarded as Mubende cases, because of the presence of contacts of these two cases and the risks of infection. I have directed a full mobilization of Kampala city into a response mode,” the president said.

For Kampala City, while the two cases that tested positive came from Mubende District and are regarded as Mubende cases, because of the presence of contacts of these two cases and the risks of infection, I have directed a full mobilization of Kampala City into a response mode. pic.twitter.com/h00ZKD4lKK

— Yoweri K Museveni (@KagutaMuseveni) October 17, 2022

Museveni’s latest update on the outbreak in the country came after he instituted a 21-day lockdown and night curfew in Mubende and Kassanda districts on Saturday to contain the spread of the Ebola disease.

Of the two patients who tested positive in Kampala, one died, while the other one is under isolation.

Museveni had earlier warned that if the public does not heed medical advice, there was a possibility of Ebola erupting in Kampala. He said already 24 contacts are under quarantine.

“Several such alert cases have been tested and the results have turned out to be negative. The Ministry of Health teams will continue to investigate any such cases and inform the public accordingly,’’ he said.

According to government figures, as of October 15, the country has 58 confirmed cases of Ebola; 19 deaths have occurred while 20 people have recovered since the index case was reported on September 20. (NAN)