Ugandan health officials said they had an outbreak of Ebola under control in their country, but expressed concerns that the disease could resurface in the neighbouring Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).
At a news conference in the capital Kampala on 18 December, the Ministry of Health said a person with the appropriate clinical case definition of Ebola had been identified in an area in DRC near the border.
They said Uganda had contacted the UN World Health Organization (WHO) over the current threat.
– We have asked our people in Bundibugyo [the epicentre of the latest outbreak in Uganda] to encourage them to come over for treatment because these diseases know no boundaries, Emmanuel Otaala, the minister in charge of primary health care, said.
– We are in touch with Kinshasa [DRC’s capital] through the World Health Organization and we have also contacted our foreign ministry to handle it through the diplomatic channels.
Some 127 cases of suspected Ebola have been reported in Uganda, 35 of whom have died, including five health workers. Another 39 patients, including six health workers, have been discharged from hospital after making a full recovery.
Otaala said there had been a general decline in the number of new Ebola cases, with only three cases reported in the past four days – an indication that the outbreak was now under control.
Kilde: www.irinnews.org
