by Kofi Oppong Kyekyeku, Face2FaceAfrica.com
Scenes outside the Ministry of Health headquarters in Kampala as Uganda steps up Ebola response measures. Photo credit: Hajarah Nalwadda via AP
Uganda’s health authorities have confirmed two additional Ebola infections, pushing the country’s total number of recorded cases to seven as officials race to contain the spread of the deadly virus linked to the outbreak in neighboring Congo.
Health officials say every confirmed case in Uganda traces back to the outbreak across the border, which investigators believe may have been circulating days or even weeks before Congolese authorities officially announced it on May 15.
The first known patient in Uganda, a 59-year-old Congolese national, was admitted to a hospital in Kampala on May 11. He died three days later before doctors discovered he had contracted Ebola. Authorities later confirmed that two other Congolese citizens who sought treatment in Uganda had also tested positive.
Uganda’s Ministry of Health on Saturday announced the country’s first locally transmitted cases involving a driver and a health worker who had contact with the deceased patient. By Monday, two additional health workers at a private hospital in Kampala had also tested positive for the virus.
“Both patients have been admitted to the designated treatment unit and are now receiving care,” Dr. Charles Olaro, the national director of health services, said in a statement.
As concerns grow, President Yoweri Museveni has called on citizens to “stop shaking hands” to reduce the risk of transmission. He also directed that an annual Catholic pilgrimage near Kampala scheduled for June 3 be postponed. The event usually draws thousands of worshippers from Congo and other countries.
Authorities have further tightened measures by temporarily halting public transportation and suspending flights between Uganda and Congo.
Meanwhile, Congo’s outbreak continues to worsen. Officials said suspected Ebola infections have surpassed 900 cases, with the majority concentrated in the eastern Ituri province where the outbreak is centered. Efforts to control the disease have faced major setbacks due to fear and mistrust among residents, attacks on treatment facilities, and years of armed conflict in the region.
Congo has experienced more than a dozen Ebola outbreaks over the years, but health experts warn the current situation has been made worse by international aid reductions from the United States and other wealthy nations.
Organizations responding to the outbreak say they are struggling with shortages of protective gear for health workers, testing materials, face shields, body bags, and other essential supplies needed for safe burials and treatment, the AP reported.
The current outbreak involves the Bundibugyo strain of the Ebola virus, which still has no approved vaccine or treatment. The situation has now been classified as a global health emergency.
Health experts maintain that tracing and isolating contacts remains one of the most effective ways to stop transmission of the virus, which commonly presents as hemorrhagic fever.
According to the World Health Organization, fruit bats are believed to be the natural hosts of Ebola viruses. The disease spreads through direct contact with bodily fluids from infected individuals or contaminated surfaces and materials.