Ebola kills fifth health worker in Uganda
Monday, October 17, 2022
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Dr Walugembe, a laboratory technician at Mubende Regional Referral Hospital and a proprietor of Life Care Medical Clinic in Kirungi South Division in Mubende municipality is the fifth health worker to die from Ebola since the latest outbreak in Uganda was confirmed on September 20.
On October 10, the Mubende Ebola task force together with a health surveillance team closed Dr Walugembe’s clinic over attending to a woman who later died from his clinic with signs and symptoms of Ebola.
“We closed the clinic which had been attending to Ebola suspects after a woman died from that clinic bleeding from the mouth and nose on October 9, 2022,” RDC Byabasaija said on October 11.
Dr Walugembe was also picked from his clinic on Monday and later tested positive for Ebola. By the time of his death, he was receiving treatment from Mubende Regional Referral Hospital.
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EBOLA OUTBREAK STATISTICS 2022
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NEW CASES 2
CUMULATIVE CONFIRMED CASES 60
CONFIRMED DEATHS 24
RECOVERIES 24
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ADDRESS
BY
H.E. YOWERI KAGUTA MUSEVENI
PRESIDENT OF THE REPUBLIC OF UGANDA
TO THE NATION
LATEST UPDATES ON EBOLA VIRUS
15TH OCTOBER, 2022
NAKASERO
UPDATE TO THE NATION ON THE EBOLA VIRUS DISEASE OUTBREAK IN THE COUNTRY
Fellow Countrymen, Countrywomen and Foreign Residents in Uganda,
I have come back, the third time, to talk to you about the Ebola outbreak that we have in the districts of Mubende, Kyegegwa, Kassanda, Kagadi and Bunyangabu.
We now have 58 total confirmed cases and 19 deaths. So far, 20 people have recovered from Ebola.
Last time, I spoke to you about some people that were difficult, lying to us, hijacking dead bodies and moving from district to district including coming to Kampala City. This movement and deceit has not changed and the risk of spreading Ebola to other parts of the country remains very high. Ebola, as you know, is highly infectious and deadly. It greatly affects the economy and tourism industry. If not adequately controlled, Ebola may spread beyond Uganda.
Ebola cases have continued to increase in the communities of Mubende and Kassanda districts. You have heard about the 3 individuals that escaped from Mubende and came to Kampala –Twagiira Yezu, his wife –Mutoni and another person from Kassanda.
There is also a lot of movements of people into Mubende and Kassanda because of the following reasons: Mining purposes, family relationships, culture and traditions. We also know that some people move out of these districts to seek treatment from traditional healers and witch doctors .This has led to the spread of Ebola to other districts i.e. Kyegegwa, Kagadi and Bunyangabu. Given the gravity of the problem and to prevent further spread and, protect lives and livelihoods, Government is taking extra measures that require action from all of us. All these measures shall start with immediate effect and will last 21 days because the incubation period for Ebola is up to 21 days.
Now, therefore, I direct as follows:
1.Movements into and out of Mubende and Kassanda Districtsis prohibited.
2.Movement from Kassanda to Mubende and vice versa is prohibited.
3.There will be Curfew in Mubende and Kassanda Districts starting from 7:00pm to 6:00am.
4.Movement of persons within their respective district (Mubende and Kassanda) is allowed.
5.Public transport, private transport and Boda-bodas are NOT permitted to move.
6.ONLY Cargo vehicles, vehicles supporting the response to Ebola outbreak, authorized Government vehicles and Security vehicles are permitted to move BUT SHALL NOT TAKE PEOPLE IN OR OUT OF MUBENDE AND KASSANDA.
7.Transit vehicles (public and private) crossing through Mubende and Kassanda Districts are permitted to move but with police clearance and shall NOT STOP TO PICK OR DROP PEOPLE.
8.Cargo trucks with only a driver and one turn-boy shall be allowed to deliver goods and may carry goods out of the districts but shall not carry passengers.
9.All cargo shall be delivered to the districts of Mubende and Kassanda during the day. Cargo vehicles shall be required to leave by 5:00 pm and the operators will not sleep in any of the two districts. Anyone who sleeps in the districts shall remain there for 21 days.
10.All seasonal markets (butale bw’Omubuulo) are suspended.
11.The Mines in Mubende will remain open for people in Mubende and the mines in Kassanda will remain open for the people in Kassanda. No crossing over. In addition, daily temperature checks, hand washing and symptom screening must be enforced by the proprietors. SCHOOLS
12.Schools should remain open and learners should be allowed to move when in school uniform. Temperature of all learners, teachers and non-teaching staff should be monitored on a daily basis.
13.Any School absence must be reported immediately to the response teams and investigated.
14.All children, teachers and non-teaching staff who have had contact with a person who has signs and symptoms of Ebola should not go to school.
15.All places of worship shall be closed.
16.All bars, places of entertainment, bibanda, bidandali, gyms, and saunas shall be closed.
OTHER INTERVENTIONS
17.All burials (whether Ebola or not) shall be conducted by Safe Burial Teams during this period.
Samples will be taken from all dead bodies and tested for Ebola.
18.Government should intensify public health awareness after fully understanding community issues, culture and traditions.
19.Ministry of Health must intensify surveillance and contact tracing in the two districts to pick out all possible cases.
20.Enforce hand washing/sanitizing using alcohol hand rub in both districts.
21.Ministry of Health will secure and deploy twenty (20) ambulances from various districts and Regional Referral Hospitals to the two districts for continuity of essential health services.
22.Ministry of Health will mobilize and deploy 10 vans for transportation of health workers in the two districts.
23.Health workers with vehicles shall be given permits by the RDCs to move only within their districts.
24.Ministry of Health will provide PPEs to all registered health facilities (private and public)in the two districts.
Countrymen, Country women and Foreign Residents, these are temporary measures to control the spread of Ebola. We should all cooperate with the authorities so that we bring this outbreak to an end in the shortest time possible. In regards to essential health services, Ambulances, vans and medicines have been deployed to support continuity of other health services. Those who are sick should use the ambulances to access the hospitals and health workers should use the vans. The Minister for Health and other authorities will provide additional guidance on these directives. Lastly, for Kampala City, while the two cases that tested positive came from Mubende District and are regarded as Mubende cases, because of the presence of contacts of these two cases and the risks of infection, I have directed a full mobilization of Kampala City into a response mode. This should cover Kampala Metropolitan area. The Minister for Health and other authorities will provide additional guidance on these directives. I thank you and wish you well.
Yoweri K. Museveni
P R E S I D E N T
Saturday, October 15, 2022
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Ebola: Uganda president restricts movement into and out of two districts hit with new Ebola wave
8 hrs ago
Brittany Chain
Two districts in Uganda have entered an immediate 21-day lockdown which will include a nightly curfew, travel bans and the closure of places of worship in a bid to stem the spread of a new wave of Ebola.
President Yoweri Museveni said on Saturday he would impose an overnight curfew effective immediately in the Mubende and Kassanda districts in central Uganda.
Bars, markets and all places of worship will also be closed for 21 days as part of the measures.
Authorities say the outbreak is concentrated in the districts and has not reached Kampala, the capital of 1.5 million, despite a husband and wife testing positive there. ...
Cargo trucks will still be allowed to enter and leave the two areas, but all other transport - personal or otherwise - is to be suspended.
Mr Museveni had already ordered traditional healers to stop treating sick people in a bid to halt the spread of Ebola, and ordered police to arrest anyone suspected of having contracted the virus who refused to go into isolation.
These are temporary measures to control the spread of Ebola. We should all cooperate with authorities so we bring this outbreak to an end in the shortest possible time,' Mr Museveni said. ...
The UKHSA insisted the risk to the public is 'very low', however. The foreign office estimates around 15,000 people travel to Uganda every year.
No cases of the killer virus have been detected in the UK yet.
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Uganda Says Ebola Has Not Reached Capital, Despite Cases
By AFP - Agence France Presse
October 14, 2022
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Only one fatal case had been recorded in Kampala, a 45-year-old man who fled Mubende after a relative died, and sought out the help of a witchdoctor before travelling to the capital where he died.
Health authorities on Thursday said the man's wife also tested positive for Ebola shortly after giving birth at a health clinic in Kampala, a city of 1.5 million people.
But despite this new case, Health Minister Jane Ruth Aceng stressed that Kampala was still considered Ebola-free because the woman, and her husband, were exposed to the virus in Mubende.
"I want to state very clearly that this does not mean Kampala has Ebola," Aceng told reporters on Thursday.
"Cases that were already listed in Mubende remain cases of Mubende. Unless Kampala generates its own cases that start within Kampala, we cannot call that a Kampala case."
Health officials have not commented on the status of the baby born to the woman who tested positive.
The health workers who attended the birth are under medical observation in an isolation facility at Kampala's main hospital where they will remain for the next 21 days, Aceng said.
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US asks ministry to block Ebola contacts from flying
Friday, October 14, 2022
The contacts are expected to be isolated for 21 days before flying to the United States.
By Tonny Abet
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“We have not had any direct discussion with the US government regarding those restrictions [against passengers from Uganda over Ebola]. Part of the information I got from them [US] is that they will be interested in us indicating to the airport the people who have been in direct contact with Ebola [patients],” he said.
Dr Mwebesa added: “And if those people are known, then they are prevented from flying by indicating to the airport. The person should be isolated for 21 days before flying out.”
He said at least two countries are also asking for an Ebola-free certificate for people coming from Uganda.
“We have not been giving Ebola-free certificates, but we will consult with the World Health Organisation. I don’t know what it means. Do I need to test somebody first and give you an Ebola-free certificate? Do I need to indicate that you have not been in contact with somebody who has Ebola?” he asked.
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Mr Emmanuel Ainebyoona, the Health ministry spokesperson, said 1,049 contacts of Ebola patients have been listed with 35 percent followed.
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WEEKLY BULLETIN ON OUTBREAKS
AND OTHER EMERGENCIES
Week 41: 3 to 9 October 2022
Data as reported by: 17:00; 9 October 2022
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Ebola Virus Disease caused by Sudan virus in Uganda
68 cases
37 Deaths
54.4% CFR
EVENT DESCRIPTION
From 3 to 9 October 2022, five new confirmed cases of Ebola
Virus Disease caused by Sudan virus (SVD) have been reported,
with no new probable case. In addition, eight new confirmed
deaths have been recorded, as well as ten new recoveries. A
comparison with the previous week (ending 2 October 2022)
depicts a significant reduction (80%) in the number of new
confirmed (5 vs 25) and probable (0 vs 2) cases, but an increase
in the number of confirmed deaths (8 vs 4). Eight new survivors
of SVD were recorded in the same reporting period.
Cumulatively, between the beginning of the outbreak on 19
September and 9 October 2022, 68 cases of SVD including
48 laboratory-confirmed and 20 probable cases have been
reported. Thirty-seven fatalities have been registered including
17 confirmed cases, for an overall case fatality ratio of 54.4%,
and 35.4% among confirmed cases. A total of 14 patients have
been discharged, giving a recovery rate of 29.2%.SVD infections
remain almost equally distributed between men and women.
The 20-29 years age group remains the most affected (26.5%)
followed by the 30-39 years (20.0%) and the under-10 years age
group which represent 17.5% of cases.
There has been no further geographical expansion of the outbreak,
as compared to week 39 during which two new Districts had
notified cases. In total, 15 Sub-Counties have reported at least one
case, distributed in five Districts including the hotspot Mubende
(40 confirmed and 19 probable), Kassanda (three confirmed and
one probable), Kyegegwa (three confirmed), Bunyangabu (one
confirmed), and Kagadi (one confirmed).
A total of 1 110 contacts have ever been listed since the beginning
of the outbreak, of which 657 are currently under follow-up. The
contact follow-up rate has kept improving, from less than 25%
at the beginning of the outbreak, 60% on 2 October, to 95% on
9 October 2022.
PUBLIC HEALTH ACTIONS
Coordination
National Task Force meetings are being held three times
every week.
Daily District Task Force meetings are being held in all
affected Districts.
Daily pillar meetings are also being held in all affected
Districts.
Surveillance and Laboratory
Epidemiological investigations, contact tracing, and active
case finding are ongoing in the affected Districts. As of 9
October 2022, 657 contacts were still under follow-up, with
624 (95%) followed-up over the past 24hrs. A total of 16
alerts were received from category 1 Districts, all of whom
were verified; nine of them were validated as new suspected
cases and evacuated to the Ebola Treatment Unit (ETU).
In addition, 57 VHF alerts were received from non-affected
Districts and Regions of the country, all of whom tested
negative by PCR for Ebola, Marburg, CCHF and RVF viruses.
Ecological investigations are ongoing in Bulega village of
Madudu Sub-County, based on information from communities
regarding probable cases. So far, four bat species have been
identified and 52 bat samples have been collected.
Mobile laboratory testing is ongoing at the Mubende Regional
Referral Hospital (RRH), with a results turn-around time of
approximately six hours. Cumulatively, 338 samples have
been tested since the beginning of the outbreak, yielding 48
laboratory-confirmed cases.
Case management and psychosocial support
There were nine new admissions in the past 24 hours, bringing
cumulative admissions to 144. Currently, 16 suspected and
10 confirmed cases are being managed at Mubende ETU,
with an additional five healthcare workers at Entebbe RRH.
Fourteen patients have recovered and were discharged.
Emergency Medical Services responded to six requests
for community to ETU evacuations, and three requests for
interfacility transfers within the communities of Mubende
(eight) and Kassanda (one). However, one patient declined
evacuation.
Psychosocial support teams visited the families of three
confirmed and one suspected case in Kassanda.
Infection, prevention and control (IPC)
IPC teams conducted decontamination of four households
in Kijuguzo sub-county, one in Mubende municipality, two
healthcare facilities in Mubende municipality and two others
in Kassanda.
Guidance on public health prevention and control measures
as well as an IPC kit were provided to a female visitor in a
home of six people evacuated to the ETU.
Twenty-one contact-tracing teams were oriented on ring IPC.
The construction of a water system at the Madudu HC III
isolation facility has been completed.
Risk communication and community engagement
Ten Community audio towers in Madudu and Kiruma SubCounties
have aired out 40 messages on SVD.
Five radio stations have conducted radio talk shows and
played 15 spot messages on SVD in addition to disk-jockey
mentions.
A sensitization of 210 followers of Ruhanga Owobusobozi
Bisaka within their “Tambiro” (Church) was organized at
Kisekende South Division of Mubende municipality.
Three film vans conducted community sensitization and
mobilization in areas of Kiyuni Sub-County. Other film vans
have been mobilized in Kyegegwa and Kassanda Districts.
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African health ministers take steps to curb Ebola disease outbreak
12 October 2022
Addis Ababa/Brazzaville/Kampala – Ministers of Health and government representatives from 9 African countries today agreed on joint measures to stop the potential spread of the ongoing Ebola disease outbreak in Uganda and beyond its borders.
An assessment conducted by World Health Organization (WHO) found that the risk of the Sudan ebolavirus spreading to neighbouring countries as high due to cross border movements between Uganda and other countries. The population is mobile due to trade, social and cultural connections. In addition, the country hosts many refugees who continue to keep ties with their countries of origin.
Recognizing the importance of collaborative efforts, the Government of Uganda, with support from the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) and WHO today hosted a High-Level Emergency Ministerial meeting on Cross Border Collaboration for Preparedness and Response to Ebola Disease Outbreaks in Kampala.
The meeting concluded with a communique in which Ministers of Health and senior government officials from Burundi, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Kenya, Liberia, Rwanda, Sierra Leone, South Sudan, Tanzania and Uganda endorsed key measures to prevent the cross-border spread of the Sudan Ebolavirus. These include disease surveillance, contact tracing and monitoring, prompt alert notification, information sharing and joint trainings of emergency responders, as well as carrying out simulation exercises to enhance preparedness and response.
“Uganda has experience in managing epidemics and since the beginning of this Ebola outbreak, with the support of our partners, we have taken measures to limit the transmission of the disease. Sharing experience and strengthening collaboration between our countries will enable us to respond quickly and efficiently to health emergencies affecting our countries,” said Hon Dr Jane Ruth Aceng Acero, Uganda’s Minister of Health.
Uganda declared an outbreak of the Sudan ebolavirus on 20 September 2022, marking the first time this species – one of the six under the Ebolavirus genus – was detected in the country since 2012.
“One of the crucial lessons Africa has learnt from previous Ebola outbreaks is that by uniting, we stay a step ahead of the virus. Through sharing information and resources, countries can go from firefighting to building an outbreak firewall and halting the spread of infections,” said Dr Matshidiso Moeti, WHO Regional Director for Africa. “The joint efforts agreed upon today place Uganda and the region on the road to breaking Ebola’s grip.”
The outbreak has affected five districts, and as of 12 October 2022, 54 confirmed cases and 19 deaths have been reported. With the intensifying response, more than a thousand contacts have been identified, while 20 people have recovered from the disease.
“We as a continent must work together to plan, prepare and respond to the Ebola outbreak and other public health threats through resource sharing, regional efforts to build resilience capacity of human resources, strengthening laboratory systems, surveillance, treatment and care,” said Dr Ahmed Ogwell Ouma, Acting Director General of the Africa CDC, emphasizing the need for collaboration efforts in ensuring health security of the Eastern Africa region and beyond. He also called for action to support the implementation of the Africa New Public Health Order.
The Ministers of Health also agreed on joint plans to carry out cross-border readiness, including raising public awareness and conducting community engagement campaigns. They also agreed to the rapid cross-border deployment of medical personnel to tackle the disease.
As no effective vaccine against the Sudan ebolavirus has been licenced yet, Ugandan health authorities have focused on supportive care for confirmed cases alongside stepping up testing, surveillance, infection prevention and control, as well as collaborating with communities to support disease prevention measures.
There are at least six candidate vaccines against Sudan ebolavirus, which are in different stages of development. Three of them have Phase1 data (safety and immunogenicity data in humans), and the remaining are in the preclinical evaluation phase.
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How Ebola victim moved from Mubende to Kampala
Wednesday, October 12, 2022
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By Monitor Team
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According to information from the Health ministry and members of the Ebola taskforce, the deceased escaped from Mubende about a week ago and went to Luweero District. He later went Natete in Kampala.
On October 6, he was taken to Kiruddu Hospital where he died on October 7. He was buried in Mubende.
“This gentleman was a contact who was listed but run away to seek treatment from a traditional healer. When it didn’t work, he requested to be brought to Kiruddu hospital,” the Health Minister, Dr Jane Ruth Aceng, said yesterday in Entebbe.
Dr Aceng added that the man changed his name to avoid being arrested. She said the ministry only got to learn that he was the escapee when he was taken back for burial in Mubende.
“The leaders in Mubende intercepted the team that had taken the body and identified the man as the one who was on our list, a sample confirmed that he had Ebola,” she said.
Ms Rosemary Byabashaija, the Mubende Resident District Commissioner (RDC), who heads the district’s Ebola taskforce, said between the months of September and October seven people from the man’s family have died from Ebola-like symptoms. Some were confirmed to have died of Ebola.
She added that members of the family don’t want to go to the hospital.
Fifteen people from the same family have been taken into forced isolation after resisting and attacking the Ebola surveillance and burial team.
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EBOLA: 15 picked and forced into isolation
The Independent October 12, 2022 NEWS Leave a comment
Mubende, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Security has rounded up 15 people in Kiruma sub county, Mubende district and taken them to the Ebola isolation center for screening and testing. The 15 are said to be members of the same family who had close contact with a deceased, but had resisted requests by the surveillance team to test.
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According to Byabashaija, the group belonged to the family, which has since lost 7 people to suspected Ebola but resisted going for testing. Byabashaija, who also doubles as the chairperson of the Ebola taskforce in Mubende district, attributed the death of 7 people in one family to their rigidity and resistance to treatment.
She revealed that the deceased man from Kiruma traversed different areas like Luwero, Nateete in Kampala and died at Kiruddu hospital without providing a proper identity. She said there are many such people who conceal information about their sicknesses.
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WHO Director-General's opening remarks at media briefing – 12 October 2022
12 October 2022
Good morning, good afternoon, and good evening.
First to Uganda, where WHO is continuing to support the government to respond to an outbreak of Ebola disease in five districts.
So far, there are 54 confirmed and 20 probable cases, with 39 deaths, and 14 people have recovered.
More than 660 contacts are currently under active follow-up.
Our primary focus now is to support the Government of Uganda to rapidly control and contain this outbreak, to stop it spreading to neighbouring districts, and neighbouring countries.
This morning I addressed a meeting in Uganda on the outbreak, attended by the Prime Minister, the Minister of Health and health ministers from several neighbouring countries.
I welcome the Prime Minister’s commitment to controlling the outbreak, and for engaging Uganda’s neighbours.
Dr Mike Ryan is on the ground in Uganda and can say more later.
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Health minister to clarify on conflicting Ebola figures
October 11, 2022
by Prossy Kisakye
Health minister, Dr. Jane Aceng is this afternoon expected to address the media and give formal clarification on the conflicting figures of Ebola deaths, infections, and recoveries.
According to the ministry spokesperson, Emmanuel Ayinebyoona, the move has been prompted by some rumors that are making rounds on social media. ...
Meanwhile, to further improve communication about the outbreak, the ministry officials, with support from the Africa Center for Disease Control are currently conducting a refresher training for district officers in public health communication & community engagement in Mubende, the Ebola epicenter.
https://www.kfm.co.ug/news/health-mi...g-figures.html
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Faruk Kirunda Retweeted
President@KagutaMuseveni
will address the nation, tomorrow 12th Oct 2022. Tune in!
10:44 AM · Oct 11, 2022·Twitter Web App
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Uganda Ebola outbreak: First death recorded in capital Kampala
4 hours ago
By Patience Atuhaire
BBC News, Kampala
An Ebola patient has died at a hospital in Uganda's capital, the health ministry has confirmed.
He was the 19th victim in the current outbreak of the deadly virus but the first to die in Kampala.
There have been 54 confirmed cases in Uganda but no others have been recorded in the city.
Twenty people have recovered including five medics from the first hospital where a case was treated. They were discharged on Tuesday.
The person who died in Kampala was already known to the authorities as having potentially come into contact with the virus.He was from outside the city but Health Minister Dr Jane Ruth Aceng said the man ran away from his village, disguised his identity and visited a traditional healer in a different region.
He died at Kiruddu National Referral Hospital last Friday, but the death has only just been confirmed.
Dr Aceng said that teams which treated him were alert to the dangers and had protected themselves, because the patient arrived at the hospital when he was seriously ill.
Forty-two people who he may have come into contact with have been identified and are being followed up.
... Dr Aceng added that there are currently no other confirmed Ebola cases in Kampala, although the city and surrounding districts are considered high risk.
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Published ECHO Daily Flash of 11 October 2022https://erccportal.jrc.ec.europa.eu/...h-archive/4615
Tuesday, 11 October 2022 I. International 
Uganda – Ebola outbreak, update(DG ECHO, Ministry of Health)- On 20 September, the health authorities in Uganda declared an outbreak of Ebola after a case of the Sudan strain was confirmed in Mubende district in the central part of the country.
- As of 9 October, the Ministry of Health reports 48 Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) confirmed cases in 5 districts (Mubende: 40; Kyegegwa: 3; Kasanda: 3; Kagadi: 1; Bunyangabu: 1), with 4 new EVD confirmed cases in the past 24 hours, all from Mubende district. There are 37 deaths (17 EVD confirmed, 20 probable) and 14 recoveries. 10 healthcare workers infections have been reported, with 4 deaths. 1,110 cumulative contacts listed of which 657 are under active follow-up with a follow up rate of 95% in the last 24 hours.
- National and local authorities as well as partners are mobilised to scale up the operational response, which faces critical challenges including the low stocks of response supplies; difficulties for contact tracing, Infection Prevention and Control (IPC), information management and coordination; delays in laboratory results upload; mobile laboratory in need of furnishing; insufficient community engagement; and gaps in human resources and logistics.
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Ebola outbreak in Uganda: 17 confirmed dead
By Rédaction Africanews with AFP
Last updated: 9 minutes ago
A new Ebola outbreak in central Uganda has killed 17 people in three weeks, the health ministry in Kampala said on Monday.
On 5 October, the World Health Organisation (WHO) reported 29 deaths in the country from Ebola since the start of the epidemic.
This figure includes deaths among people confirmed to have the virus, as well as suspected cases.
The Ugandan government is counting only deaths among confirmed patients, which is 48 people as of 9 October, according to the ministry.
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Minister Aceng blocks UVRI from Ebola testing
Monday, October 10, 2022
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By Dan Wandera, Barbra Nalweyiso & Tonny Abet
The Minister of Health, Dr Jane Ruth Aceng, has blocked Uganda Virus Research Institute (UVRI) from overseeing the testing of the Ebola virus, this newspaper has learnt.
Highly placed sources in the government confirmed to this publication that the minister has given the powers of testing of Ebola to Kampala-based Central Public Health Laboratories (CPHL), which is directly under the Health ministry.
UVRI, the country’s top virus research centre, is mandated by the government to monitor and conduct research on viral diseases and other infectious agents.
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Prof Pontiano Kaleebu, the UVRI director, when asked about the orders from the minister, said: “I don’t want to talk about that issue.”
However, Prof Kaleebu also said they have been doing research on suspected Ebola patients and that through this, recently, they were able to detect the second case of Crimean-Congo haemorrhagic fever (CCHF). Still, in the Mubende meeting, Dr Aceng banned the double sample collection from Ebola suspects.
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“It has come to my notice that two blood samples are still taken from a single patient at the ETU. This must stop. The government will not entertain a second party trying to manipulate and interfere by way of research through unauthorised means. It is one blood sample per person,” Dr Aceng said.
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https://www.monitor.co.ug/uganda/new...esting-3979532
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Inside the UVRI, MoH fight over Ebola testing
Tuesday, October 11, 2022
By Tonny Abet
The disagreement between Uganda Virus Research Institute (UVRI) and the Health Ministry over disease surveillance mandates and associated deals, has deepened, sparking confusion in Ebola Virus testing.
The disagreement, which has been brewing over the years, according to sources in government, explains the move by the Health Minister, Dr Jane Ruth Aceng, to block the UVRI from conducting research on Ebola patients and overseeing the testing of Ebola at a time when the country is struggling to contain the outbreak.
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Another source said: “When the UVRI detected Ebola, the officials at the ministry ordered that the information shouldn’t come out until the President is informed about it. And it was the Ministry to declare the outbreak.”
But the information was leaked and this publication was able to break the story before the official announcement by the Ministry, an action which sources within the Ministry said angered the officials.
tabet@ug.nationmedia.com
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