Africa-Press – Uganda. President Museveni has imposed a 21-day lockdown on the central Uganda districts of Mubende and Kassanda to contain an Ebola outbreak that has already claimed 19 lives in the country.
“Movements into and out of Mubende and Kassanda is prohibited,” President Museveni directed in his third quick-succession night televised address on Ebola.
Uganda’s Ebola caseload has as of October 15 climbed to nearly 60 in just a month from the time the contagious disease was confirmed in Mubende, which President Museveni partially attributed to public transport.
“There will be curfew in Mubende and Kasanda districts starting from 7pm to 6am. Public, private transport and Boda Bodas are not permitted to move in Mubende and Kasanda districts to curb Ebola,” he said.
Mr Museveni clarified that “people travelling across Mubende and Kassanda are permitted to move after police clearance and not allowed to stop or pick up a person in the two districts.”
“Any cargo to be dropped in those districts shall be dropped only during the day not beyond 5pm. If someone does so, he or she stay there for 21 days,” the Ugandan leader explained.
Citing the public’s non-compliance to government’s guidance on controlling Ebola, President Museveni October 15 also announced a return to several other restrictive measures that were previously deployed by the State to curb the viral Covid-19.
“Schools should remain open with strict operating procedures but any one with signs and symptoms should remain home and report to health workers for medical checkup. All places of worship and entertainment in these districts should be closed. All burials should be conducted by the health workers whether someone died from Ebola or not,” he added.
Ebola is spread through bodily fluids, with common symptoms being fever, vomiting, bleeding and diarrhoea. Outbreaks are difficult to contain, especially in urban environments.
Uganda’s last recorded fatality from a previous Ebola outbreak was in 2019.
The particular strain now circulating in Uganda is known as the Sudan Ebola virus, for which there is currently no vaccine.
The World Health Organization says clinical trials could start within weeks on drugs to combat that strain.
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