Goverment through the Ministry of Education and Sports has ordered schools across the country to end the school calendar early in order to contain further spread of Ebola among school children.
This comes after 8 out of the 23 children who were infected succumbed to the deadly disease.
While addressing journalists at Uganda Media Center on Thursday, The State Minister for primary Education, Joyce Kaducu said that Pre-primary, Primary and Secondary schools will close on 25th November 2022, adding that “The District, City, Municipality Education officers and Head teachers should take note and act accordingly.”
Gorvernment declared Ebola Sudan outbreak on 20th September and has since registered 135 cases with 53 deaths due to the disease.
Following a suggestion by the Ministry of Health for Gorvernment to close schools earlier this month, President Museveni affirmed that closing schools earlier will reduce areas of concentration where children are in daily close contact with fellow children, teachers and other staff who could potentially spread the virus.
Closure of the schools comes on the sporadity heels of an unprecedented two-year school hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic which significantly which brought learning to a halt.
Ebola is a severe, often fatal illness affecting humans and other primates. Nearly all Ebola outbreaks have occurred in Africa and transmission of the virus typically occurs when a person comes into contact with the bodily fluids of another infected individual.
According to World Health Organization, Starting patient care early saves lives. The WHO further released a statement on November 3 outlining its plans to begin clinical trials of the candidate vaccines. Makerere University Lung Institute in Kampala, Uganda is set to conduct the trials with support from WHO, CEPI, and GAVI.
To-date, Mubende and Kassanda district are still under lockdown following an extention by Government through the Minister of Health last week.
The WHO reveals that there has been seven previous outbreaks of the Ebola Sudan strain, four in Uganda and three in Sudan.
Uganda last reported an outbreak of Ebola Sudan strain in 2012 and an outbreak of the Ebola Zaire strain in 2019.
