Uganda tightens Ebola restrictions amid ongoing outbreak

Uganda’s Ministry of Health on Wednesday announced the introduction of additional Ebola prevention measures designed to reduce the risk of further spread of the disease, News.Az reports, citing Xinhua.

Following a national address on the Ebola outbreak by Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni, Health Minister Chris Baryomunsi said that the infection prevention guidelines have now been distributed to all districts bordering the eastern part of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, which is currently the epicenter of the outbreak.

Baryomunsi added that mass gatherings, including weddings and market days, have been suspended as part of the tightened control measures. He also noted that schools across the country have been instructed to strictly adhere to the Ministry of Health’s Ebola prevention guidelines.

According to the Ministry of Health, Uganda has not recorded any new Ebola cases over the past five days. The country’s cumulative total remains at 19 confirmed cases, which include two deaths.

Diana Atwine, the permanent secretary at the Ministry of Health, stated that recent observations suggest the Ebola virus appears to be more concentrated in the alimentary canal than in the blood once symptoms begin to manifest.

“We have seen that when people start getting symptoms, the virus is highly concentrated in the saliva, vomitus and the stool,” Atwine said, adding that this finding could contribute to advancing global scientific understanding of how to combat Ebola.

Atwine further urged members of the public not to share drinking cups or other utensils, warning that the virus could potentially spread through contaminated objects. She also advised people to avoid consuming cracked fruits during the fruit season, explaining that it is difficult to determine whether animals may have partially eaten such fruits.

News.Az 

By Nijat Babayev