Congolese nationals account for the majority of Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) cases reported in Uganda, statistics from Uganda’s Ministry of Health show.
Out of the cumulative nine cases reported by the Ministry, at least five are Congolese nationals who crossed into Uganda seeking treatment. The last two EVD cases reported by the Ministry on May 29 were all Congolese nationals. There have also been no new cases reported as the country intensifies efforts to prevent importation of cases from DR Congo, the place experiencing a bigger Ebola outbreak and spread. Details from the Ministry of Health show that initial EVD cases can be traced to a Congolese woman who came to Uganda for treatment on April 10, and another male Congolese who came in later on April 11.
‘Upon arrival (in Uganda), she travelled from Arua to Entebbe via a chartered flight and sought medical care on May 10, at a private hospital in Kampala,’ explained Dr Charles Olaro, the Director General of Health Services at the Ministry.
‘She was initially treated and discharged in good condition on May 14, after which she travelled back to the DR Congo,” Dr Olaro added.
The Ministry indicated that medical workers in Uganda treated her without knowing she had Ebola, and so they got exposed to the infection.
But the Ministry took interest in her matter after the May 14 incident at Kibuli Muslim Hospital, where a Congolese man with similar conditions to hers died. Tests later showed he had Ebola Bundibugyo Virus Disease. Information from the ministry indicates that the 59-year-old Congolese male who was admitted to Kibuli Muslim Hospital in Kampala on May 11 presented with respiratory distress, episodes of fevers, epigastric pain, nausea, fever and had challenges passing urine. While in admission, his condition deteriorated, and he died in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) with bleeding symptoms. Dr Diana Atwine, the Permanent Secretary at the Ministry, said they traced the patient who had come on May 10 and was discharged.
She said when they traced her samples, collected in the hospital she was treated, results showed she had EVD. Following these discoveries, over 100 health workers who were exposed to the patients and other contacts of the patients in Uganda have been quarantined as the government intensifies efforts to contain the outbreak. Some have eventually tested positive while in quarantine. On May 25, the Ministry reported two new cases of EVD in the country, among Ugandan health workers working in a private health facility in Kampala. ‘Both patients have been admitted to the designated treatment unit and are now receiving care.All contacts linked to the confirmed cases are being listed for follow-up by response teams,’ he said.
Dr Olaro appealed to the health workers and the public to be vigilant and report suspected cases of Ebola. ‘Infection prevention applies to all the staff. Some of the people whom we quarantined because of the current outbreak did ultrasounds on patients. We emphasise infection prevention so you protect and your patients, and subsequently your family and community,” he said.
To the public, Dr Olaro said: ‘You are advised to immediately report anyone presenting symptoms consistent with Ebola Virus Disease to the nearest health facility.’ ‘Early detection and treatment greatly improve survival chances and prevent further Ebola spread,’ he added.