Government advises on epidemic spread mitigation.

By Christopher Bendana.

The Ministry of Health has released a list of measures to help limit the spread of Ebola in the country. The ministry confirmed on Tuesday that test results from the Uganda Virus Research Institute (UVRI) had confirmed Ebola in one of the patients previously admitted at Mubende Referral Hospital.

Dr Diana Atwine, the permanent secretary, Ministry of Health, while meeting the press at the ministry’s headquarters yesterday said test results from a 24 male from Ngabano village in Mubende district indicated the Ebola Sudan Strain.

The male patient, who has since died presented symptoms of bleeding, high fever, and had been admitted in multiple clinics raising a concern of multiple infections.

Atwine said they were going to conduct oral tests of the other six members of the community who had died earlier on.

The Viral Hemorrhagic Fever comes with symptoms of high fever, chest pain, yellowing of the eyes, vomiting, and bleeding from several body parts.

“Avoid all physical contact including kissing, and body washing of the dead,” she said.

It is mainly transmitted through body contact through body fluids like sweat.

She called upon public institutions to avail clean washing facilities.

However, she warned the public against using alcohol-based sanitizers commonly used during Covid-19.

“They don’t work on Ebola,” she said

Dr Bayo Fartunmbi from World Health Organization revealed that the current vaccines don’t protect the population of this particular strain save one that is still under development by the American pharmaceutical company, Johnson and Johnson.

He reechoed the importance of vigilance among the population relating the long incubation period of 2- 21 days as a trap.

“Don’t wait for the bleeding,” he said.

Atwine called on the public to wash their hands with water mixed with the Jik detergent.

She emphasized that government can handle any health emergency and that a rapid response team had been sent to Mubende to help in tracking the contacted persons, and establish the source of the epidemic.

The same strain affected Luweero in 2012 and Sudan in 2011.

Ebola is a very dangerous disease with high death rates among infected people.