On May 30, Ugandans woke up to a screaming headline by Al Jazeera where it was alleged that 263 people had died of Ebola in both DRC and Uganda.
Of course, Al Jazeera depicted lazy journalism while reporting this epidemic or they chose to go sensational for reasons best known to themselves.
The story was just generic and lacked basic details. Both Uganda and DRC have their own figures as far as Ebola is concerned.
And this is public information, and I can’t comprehend why the Centre for Disease Control (CDC) chose to sum up together with DRC as if Uganda is not a sovereign State to be judged by its own statistics.
For the record, Uganda has registered one fatality case out of the nine infections so far identified.
These are being medically managed, and some have been discharged after testing negative.
The Ministry of Health remains vigilant and has increased its level of vigilance, especially across the districts that border the DRC.
Together with partners like the CDC and World Health Organisation (WHO), the government is in control and without a doubt will control this disease.
This is not the first time Uganda has tamed Ebola within its territories. In fact, this epidemic is the 9th since Ebola began threatening Ugandans. And all these have been controlled with very limited fatalities.
Entebbe Virus Research Institute has the best virology lab in the region. In 2000, Uganda registered the first case of Ebola in Lacor Hospital in Gulu City.
Since then, several other variants of Ebola have struck, but our medical experts have always contained the situation.
The Entebbe Virus Research Institute has been equipped and is now a centre of excellence in viral diseases.
The Ministry of Health and scientists have indeed cultivated global-leading expertise in managing and controlling Ebola.
Having faced multiple outbreaks of different viral strains (including Zaire, Sudan, and Bundibugyo), Uganda has honed its rapid response, contact tracing, and treatment protocols to become a globally recognised model for disease containment.
Uganda contains Ebola outbreaks through a tried-and-true strategy centered around rapid detection, aggressive contact tracing, community mobilisation, and decentralised mobile laboratories.
This highly effective model is executed by the Ministry of Health alongside partners like WHO and UNICEF.
Uganda’s success in taming these outbreaks relies on mobile laboratories in affected districts so samples do not have to be sent to the central Uganda Virus Research Institute (UVRI) in Entebbe, dramatically cutting wait times for results.
A robust health system allows for quick turnaround times-often returning diagnostic results within 24 hours of testing at border or localised clinics.
Therefore, those making these out of proportion statement should come to Uganda to learn from our expertise.
This does not mean that we are not taking precautions as a country. We have set up standard operating procedures, especially where people gather in numbers. Schools and markets are operating normally.
Spreading unverified rumours and sensationalised data, which directly undermines public health efforts, causes widespread panic, disrupts the economy, encourages the use of dangerous unproven treatments, and severely damages the reputation of a country.
Uganda’s open policy in managing our affairs is being abused. As a country, we do not find it wise to hide information when we are faced with an outbreak. Indeed, when the rest of the world was still shy to talk about HIV/Aids in the 1980s, President Museveni came out boldly to tell the world about the strange disease then.
He championed a highly visible, grassroots, and top-down national awareness campaign that shattered taboos.
Therefore, the Ministry of Health is effectively managing the Bundibugyo Ebola Virus Disease outbreak.
The government rapidly activated national and subnational response structures, earning widespread commendation for its swift containment, contact tracing, and isolation protocols.