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Uganda's exposure to Ebola virus infection by the neighboring Democratic Republic of Congo appears to have increased on Thursday, with the number of deaths reported to two and three suspected cases reported in a Ugandan border hospital.
The number of people in Uganda who may have been exposed to Ebola carriers has increased significantly from eight to at least 27.
The revelations, published in an update from the Ministry of Health on its website, suggest a growing threat to the Ebola virus in Uganda, which has ravaged eastern Congo for a year and has spread to Uganda this year. week.
A 5-year-old Congolese boy, who entered a border town in western Uganda with his family on June 9, died on Wednesday of the Ebola virus disease, the first case in Uganda since Congo epidemic. His 50-year-old grandmother, who was traveling with him, became the second victim, the Ugandan Ministry of Health said Thursday.
The spread of the Ebola virus in Uganda has alarmed international health officials, who had expressed hope that the epidemic, concentrated in a recurring conflict zone in eastern Congo, could be contained and defeated in this region.
The World Health Organization is holding a meeting of its Emergency Committee on the International Health Regulations Friday at its headquarters in Geneva, hoping to declare the Ebola outbreak a "public health emergency of international concern" .
This statement would trigger a much more aggressive response to fight the epidemic, which could result in tighter border controls and other travel restrictions.
The Ugandan Ministry of Health announced that five other Congolese who had been around the first victim – his mother and father, a three-year-old brother, a six-month-old brother and a maid – had all been sent back to the Congolese side. . the border. The 3-year-old girl has been confirmed to be infected with the Ebola virus and the others are all suspected cases, he added.
"To date, there is no confirmed case of Ebola in Uganda," the ministry said. It was intended to assure international travelers that the country was "safe and that all our national parks and tourist sites remain open and accessible to the public".
However, according to the ministry, three suspected cases unrelated to the first two deaths were isolated for treatment at the Bwera hospital, a border town where the spread of the Ebola virus in Uganda was reported for the first time.
Ebola can cause uncontrolled internal bleeding and death. It is spread by physical contact and is one of the most contagious diseases. The symptoms can take days to manifest, increasing the risk of infection.
The Ministry of Health said that at least 27 people in Uganda may have been in contact with both the dead and the three suspected Ebola patients, thus evoking a risk of infection and spread of the disease without knowing it.
Concerned that large gatherings might include potential carriers of the Ebola virus, Health Ministry officials held a special meeting on Thursday with leaders of the country's kingdom, Rwenzururu, in the west of the country. on the border with Congo, who were planning great funerals for Queen Mother Christine Mukirania. died this month at the age of 85.
According to Ministry information, all Rwenzururu officials and members of the royal family "would be sensitized to the Ebola virus before the burial of the deceased Queen Mother in order to inform them and encourage them to disseminate them throughout the country. kingdom".
On Thursday, the epidemic in Congo had infected 2,084 people in the country and killed 1,405, health officials said.
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