President Yoweri Museveni has accused Aljazeera and other news agencies of obnoxious exaggeration on Ebola figures.
The president said this while addressing the Nation regarding the Ebola outbreak and other related issues on the evening of Wednesday, 28 September 2022.
On 24 September, Aljazeera had reported that a total of 16 people had contracted the virus and a further 18 also likely to have had the diseases making it 34, a figure which president Museveni disputes.
In his communication, the President revealed that “Unfortunately, we lost the first patient on 19th September, the day he tested positive for Ebola. 5 people are the ones that have died from Ebola, and we have 24 confirmed cases, the 24 cases include the 5 that died.”
“Daily Monitor newspaper which works for the enemy has been exaggerating figures, making it look alarming. We have had only 24 cases and of which only 5 have died.” He asserted.
The president cautioned Ugandans to be vigilant and follow the Ministry of health’s preventative measures. He advised the populace not to touch the soft parts (eyes, mouth, and nose) of the body unless one has washed his or her hands well with soap and running water.
Ebola spreads highly through direct body contact and fluids. Other means are if you have sex, exchange saliva, or have a blood transfusion.
The president rejected a proposal for a National lockdown saying, ” Ebola Sudan is not as infectious, even when fluids from the infected person get on your skin, you will not be infected as long as you have no cuts, we will manage this, we have experts. Therefore, no need for a lockdown.”
Doctors have preliminarily indicated that normally, what kills people are high temperatures, vomiting, and dehydration.
As of Tuesday, 27 September 2022, a total of 6 medical personnel had so far tested positive for Ebola in Mubende; 3 Senior House Officers, 1 intern doctor, 1 medical student, and 1 Anesthetic officer.
Mubende RRH// Photo by Mugenyi Henry
By press time, all 6 health workers that tested positive for Ebola in Mubende RRH had been transferred to Fort portal Regional Referal Hospital RRH.
News reaching our desk indicates that the 6 cases will be managed at J medic clinic, a research clinic within Fort portal RRH.
The president further said that “everyone should stop panicking, most especially tourists. This is very easy to stop. I think it has already been contained.”
Ebola is a virus that causes severe bleeding, and organ failure and can lead to death.
Ugandan authorities declared Ebola outbreak on the 20th of September 2022 after ‘Ebola Sudan’ had been detected in the central district of Mubende, early September.
The first casualty was a 24 year old man who succumbed to the virus on the 19th September 2022.
According to World Health Organization, Ebola Sudan strain is less transmissible and has shown a lower fatality rate in previous out breaks than Ebola Zaire, a strain that killed nearly 2,300 people in the 2018-2020 epidemic in the DRC.
The worst epidemic in West Africa between 2013 and 2016 killed more than 11,300 people.