Ebola in Uganda: 5-year-old child succumbs to infection, two more case reported
Updated 17:32, 09-Jul-2019
Quite some distressing news coming out of Uganda. Uganda's Health Ministry now says one person has died of Ebola and two new cases have been confirmed in the country's Western District of Kasese. The three are the first confirmed cases in Uganda since the Ebola virus outbreak was declared in the neighboring Democratic Republic of the Congo 10 months ago. CGTN's Michael Baleke has that report.
Uganda's Ministry of Health and the World Health Organization have confirmed the death of a 5-year-old child from the Democratic Republic of the Congo. He travelled with his family to Uganda a week ago to seek treatment but presented with symptoms of the Ebola Virus Disease.
JANE RUTH ACENG, MINISTER OF HEALTH, UGANDA "A blood sample was drawn and sent for testing at the Uganda Virus Research institute very early on the morning of June 11th, the sample tested positive for Ebola. All the other Congolese family members have been identified and are in isolation at Bwera Hospital."
The Ministry of Health says blood samples taken from a 50-year-old grandmother and a 3-year-old brother of the deceased have also tested positive for Ebola. A Rapid Response Team has been dispatched to Kasese district to identify, monitor and provide assistance to health teams in the area.
JANE RUTH ACENG, MINISTER OF HEALTH, UGANDA "The Ministry of Health, WHO and CDC will undertake ring vaccination of contacts to the case and other non-vaccinated frontline and other workers beginning Friday 14th June 2019."
On 1 August 2018, the UN WHO declared a new outbreak of the Ebola Virus Disease in the DR Congo. The disease has since killed close to 1400 people and infected hundreds. However the new confirmed cases, the situation remains tense along the Uganda DR Congo borderlines.
PAUL OKOT, EMERGENCY RESPONSE MANAGER, UGANDA RED CROSS SOCIETY "We have informed our teams to heighten their activities and Screen every single person who is arriving, we have been doing this previously in the last eight months as part of the preparedness since Ebola was declared in the DRC."
The Ebola Virus is a severe illness that is spread through contact with body fluids of a person with the disease. Symptoms can be sudden and include fever, fatigue, muscle pain, persistent headaches and a sore throat.
MICHAEL BALEKE, KAMPALA, UGANDA "Uganda has previous experience managing Ebola outbreaks. And this time round the Ministry of Health is prioritizing community awareness and education to contain the spread of the disease in the country. Michael Baleke CGTN, Kampala - Uganda."