Ruhakana Rugunda, minister of health, told reporters that laboratory results from the suspected cases turned out negative.
"There is no confirmed case of Ebola in Uganda. Media reports of reported cases in Kitgum and Kampala districts are false," he said, adding that any reported case will be investigated promptly and the public will be informed.
Three countries in West Africa, Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leon have for the last four months been devastated by an outbreak of Ebola.
Latest figure from the World Health Organization (WHO) showed that there were more than 1,000 registered cases, including 729 deaths.
Rugunda said the country was on high alert after a reported unconfirmed Ebola case in neighboring Kenya.
He said government has reinstated the country's National Task Force on Epidemics and Disease Surveillance to watch out on any Ebola alerts throughout the country.
He said the ministry has set up a screening desk at the country's Entebbe International Airport to check travelers who have a travel history to West Africa in the last 21 days before coming to Uganda. The disease incubates in 21 days.
"All districts have been directed to be vigilant and look out for suspected cases and alerts for immediate action," Rugunda said.
He said the country has stocked enough drugs in case of any outbreak. The ministry has also assembled a team of experts to be on standby to be deployed in areas where suspected cases are reported.
The ministry also advised the public to limit their travels to any of the affected countries in West Africa until the situation is contained.
"The ministry calls upon the public to stay calm as all possible measures are being undertaken to keep the country safe from the epidemic," Rugunda said.
Ebola last broke out in Uganda in 2012, leaving over 20 people dead.
The disease is a highly infectious and presents with symptoms like fever, vomiting, diarrhea, abdominal pain, headache, measles- like rash, red eyes, and sometimes with bleeding from body openings.
Xinhua - china.org.cn
1/8/14
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A West African Ebola outbreak is “out of control,” and the affected countries are struggling to contain the disease, Jason Cone, spokesman for Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) aid group, told RIA Novosti....
ReplyDelete“The Ebola outbreak in West Africa is out of control, and the current response is insufficient compared to the needs. In Sierra Leone and Liberia, there are critical gaps in all aspects of the response. MSF does not have a clear overview of the most affected areas and it is believed that people are still dying in their villages without access to medical care,” Cone said.
“The epidemic further strains weak health systems already trying to cope with malaria and maternal mortality. Many health facilities are closed or empty, as people are not seeking care for regular illnesses for fear of being infected. Some health workers have been infected or have died. Many are too scared to come to work,” he said....................http://en.ria.ru/society/20140802/191608029/West-Africa-Ebola-Outbreak-Out-of-Control---MSF.html
2/8/14