Uganda declares Ebola Virus Disease outbreak (SEBOV) - 20 Sept 2022 - Outbreak is over

[Mary Wilson]

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.
...

https://www.msn.com/en-gb/health/med...ve/ar-AA12ZYyk

[Pathfinder]

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

https://www.yowerikmuseveni.com/address-nation-measures-stem-spread-ebola

[Pathfinder]

EBOLA OUTBREAK STATISTICS 2022
...

NEW CASES 2

CUMULATIVE CONFIRMED CASES 60

CONFIRMED DEATHS 24

RECOVERIES 24

...

https://www.health.go.ug/ebola/

[Pathfinder]

Ebola kills fifth health worker in Uganda

Monday, October 17, 2022
...
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.
...

https://www.monitor.co.ug/uganda/news/national/ebola-kills-fifth-health-worker-in-uganda-3987730

[Pathfinder]

WHO Director-General's opening remarks at media briefing – 19 October 2022

19 October 2022
...
Now to the Ebola outbreak in Uganda.

In total there have now been 60 confirmed and 20 probable cases, with 44 deaths, and 25 people have recovered.

We remain concerned that there may be more chains of transmission and more contacts than we know about in the affected communities.

The Ministry of Health is investigating the most recent eight cases, as initial reports indicate they were not among known contacts.

In addition, two confirmed cases from the Mubende district sought care in the capital Kampala, increasing the risks of transmission in that city.

I’m pleased to see that the government has recognised that risk.

WHO and our partners are continuing to support the Government of Uganda to contain the outbreak and prevent it from spreading in more regions and countries.

===

https://www.who.int/news-room/speeches/item/who-director-general-s-opening-remarks-at-media-briefing---19-october-2022

[sharon sanders]

Helen Branswell
@HelenBranswell
4h
Uganda continues to report only confirmed #Ebola cases. With the 20 probable cases, this outbreak has reached 84 cases & 45 deaths.
@WHO
is concerned about 8 cases with no known links to transmission chains. If you can't figure out how people got infected, you have a problem.
Quote Tweet

Ministry of Health- Uganda
@MinofHealthUG
·
8h
A team led by the Minister for Health, @JaneRuth_Aceng visited the Entebbe National Isolation Facility, that is currently managing 1 confirmed #Ebola patient. To-date, there are 64 confirmed #Ebola cases and 25 confirmed #Ebola deaths #EbolaOutbreakUG twitter.com/janeruth_aceng…
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[Pathfinder]

Virus research centre resumes Ebola testing

Thursday, October 20, 2022

By Dr. Eve
...
The Uganda Virus Research Institute (UVRI) in Entebbe has resumed Ebola testing after the Ministry of Health had blocked it two weeks ago.

Prof Pontiano Kaleebu, the UVRI executive director, said they had now resolved the matter with the ministry.
“There were some misunderstandings which we have sorted.
...
The laboratories will focus on conducting research on viruses of animal origin that infect humans. The labs in partnership with NIH will also strengthen collaboration with international scientists.
“Our lab is a national and regional reference not only for Ebola. We have a plan that our team will be in Mubende this week to support the mobile labs in terms of training but also continue with quality control and assurance so that we do a good job,” he added.

Prof Kaleebu also noted that there are plans to introduce two Ebola vaccines, one from Sabin, a US-based company with a vaccine, which is against the Sudan variant, and also the Oxford vaccine that has been made out of chimp cardinal.
...

https://www.monitor.co.ug/uganda/news/national/virus-research-centre-resumes-ebola-testing-3992020

[sharon sanders]

The Official Twitter Account of Ministry of Health Uganda. All information posted and viewed on this page is subject to Ministry of Health User Policy.
Kampala, Uganda health.go.ug



Ministry of Health- Uganda

@MinofHealthUG
A team led by the Minister for Health,
@JaneRuth_Aceng
visited the Entebbe National Isolation Facility, that is currently managing 1 confirmed #Ebola patient. To-date, there are 64 confirmed #Ebola cases and 25 confirmed #Ebola deaths #EbolaOutbreakUG

[Pathfinder]

Dr. Jane Ruth Aceng Ocero
@JaneRuth_Aceng
·
9h
Yesterday 21st Oct. 2022, three individuals from among the 60 in our Mulago isolation facility tested positive for #Ebola. These were contacts to the case from Kassanda who passed on in Mulago Hospital.
They have since been under institutional quarantine in Mulago isolation unit.

Dr. Jane Ruth Aceng Ocero
@JaneRuth_Aceng
·
9h
They will be transferred to the Entebbe Isolation for treatment Unit since the Mulago Unit still has 58 contacts under quarantine.
Let's remain vigilant and report anybody with symptoms similar to #Ebola.
Together we can end this epidemic. #EbolaOutbreakUG

-------------------------------------------------

Uganda Health Minister:3 People in Kampala Hospital Positive for Ebola

By Reuters

Oct. 22, 2022, at 3:32 a.m.

(Reuters) -Three people in an isolation unit of Uganda's main hospital have tested positive for Ebola, the country's health minister said on Saturday.
...
Mulago is in Uganda's capital Kampala. Friday's confirmed cases would be the first known transmission of the virus in the city...

A government statement on Friday evening said the outbreak had infected 65 people and killed 27. It was not clear if the numbers included the three new Kampala cases.

https://www.usnews.com/news/world/articles/2022-10-22/uganda-health-minister-3-people-in-kampala-isolation-unit-test-positive-for-ebola

[Shiloh]

Source: https://www.reuters.com/world/africa...al-2022-10-23/

Uganda says two new Ebola cases confirmed in Kampala hospital
Reuters
2 minute readOctober 23, 202211:12 AM EDTLast Updated 6 hours ago

NAIROBI, Oct 23 (Reuters) - Two more people in an isolation unit of Uganda's main hospital have tested positive for Ebola, bringing total cases recorded in the facility to five, the health minister said on Sunday.

The five confirmed cases in Kampala are the first known transmission of the virus in the city, coming days after the information ministry said the country's Ebola outbreak was coming under control and was expected to be over by the end of the year.

Health Minister Jane Ruth Aceng said on Saturday that three patients among 60 people in isolation at Kampala's Mulago Hospital tested positive for the disease a day earlier...

[Pathfinder]

Dr. Jane Ruth Aceng Ocero
@JaneRuth_Aceng
·
18h
Two more contacts to the Kassanda case, who are quarantined in Mulago Isolation facility, tested positive for #Ebola yesterday 22nd October. They have been transfered to the Entebbe ETU.

This brings the total number of #Ebola cases in Kampala to 5.

Be alert and remain vigilant.


---------------------------------------

EBOLA OUTBREAK STATISTICS 2022
...

NEW CASES 4

CUMULATIVE CONFIRMED CASES 75

CONFIRMED DEATHS 28

RECOVERIES 26

https://www.health.go.ug/ebola/

[sharon sanders]

Dr. Jane Ruth Aceng Ocero

@JaneRuth_Aceng
·
54m
Yesterday 23rd Oct 2022, nine (9) individuals were confirmed positive for #Ebola in Greater Kampala region bringing the total number of cases to 14 in the last 48 hours. The 9 cases are contacts of the fatal case who came from Kassanda district and passed on in Mulago Hospital.
19
75
110
Dr. Jane Ruth Aceng Ocero

@JaneRuth_Aceng
·
52m
7 family members are from Masanafu and 1 health worker who managed him in a private clinic together with his wife from Seguku. Fellow Ugandans, let's be vigilant. Report yourself if you have had contact or know of a person who has had contact. Lets cooperate to end Ebola.
6
18
41
Dr. Jane Ruth Aceng Ocero

@JaneRuth_Aceng
·
21h

-------------------------------------------------

The health department has not updated their website with this additional information yet.

[Pathfinder]

Ministry of Health- Uganda
@MinofHealthUG

Current #EbolaOutbreakUG update as of 23 October 2022.

[sharon sanders]

Helen Branswell

@HelenBranswell
1. Short #Ebola thread. The outbreak in Uganda is getting quite large. Very concerning situation. But there's been some extraordinary good news. Merck, which makes the first licensed Ebola Zaire vaccine, has found it has 100,000 bulk doses of Ebola Sudan vaccine.
11:46 AM · Oct 24, 2022·Twitter Web App
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Reply
Helen Branswell

@HelenBranswell

5h
Replying to
@HelenBranswell
2.
@sciencecohen
reported on this amazing situation. Merck relinquished the IP for the #Ebola Sudan vaccine several years ago, but while it still held it the company made bulk vaccine as a hedge against an Ebola Sudan outbreak. It's still viable.

science.org
Merck locates frozen batch of undisclosed Ebola vaccine, will donate for testing in Uganda’s...
After inquiries from Science, company confirms it produced and retains a candidate vaccine that could help bring the viral threat under control
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Helen Branswell

@HelenBranswell

5h
3.
@WHO
is already planning a clinical trial of candidate vaccines which is supposed to start soon. The Merck vaccine, which stands a good chance of being effective, will surely be added to the mix. I wrote about the clinical trial late last month. #Ebola

statnews.com
Ebola experimental vaccine trial may begin soon in Uganda
A trial of one or possibly two experimental vaccines to protect against the Ebola Sudan virus may begin shortly in Uganda, where there have been at least 36 cases and 23 deaths from the virus.
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Helen Branswell

@HelenBranswell

5h
4. Getting a good handle on how large this #Ebola outbreak is has been ridiculously hard. Uganda is not being transparent about numbers. They are not including probable cases in their counts, even though they should be.

health.go.ug
Ebola - Ministry of Health | Government of Uganda
Ebola case numbers and statistics
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Helen Branswell

@HelenBranswell

5h
5. Uganda says there've been 75 confirmed #Ebola cases & 28 deaths. But there are 20 probable cases that need to be added to those tallies. And that 75 number is out of date. Suffice to say there have been over 100 cases to date and 48 deaths.
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Helen Branswell

@HelenBranswell

5h
6. Most alarmingly, there have been quite a few cases in Kampala, the capital. #Ebola in cities is really bad news. A chain of transmission spanning more than a dozen cases started there when an infected man fled to Kampala.
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Helen Branswell

@HelenBranswell

5h
7. If you want to know more about the work that led to Merck's #Ebola Zaire vaccine — and the Ebola Sudan vaccine that will be tested in Uganda — I wrote about in early 2020.

statnews.com
‘Against all odds’: The inside story of how scientists across three continents produced an Ebola...
The story of the Ebola vaccine is a story of scientific grit — and researchers on three continents who toiled to achieve what was once unthinkable.

[Treyfish]

...Merck to donate shelved candidate vaccine


In another development, following queries from Science, Merck said it has found as many as 100,000 doses of an experimental vaccine against Sudan Ebola in its freezers and will donate it to Uganda's outbreak response.

In its report yesterday, Science said the World Health Organization (WHO) and Uganda are discussing if the doses can be incorporated into clinical trials of two other vaccine candidates. Since the early weeks of the outbreak, officials have been discussing plans for conducting clinical trials of two other vaccines that have been in clinical trials, one from Oxford/Astra Zeneca and the other from the Sabin Vaccine Institute.

Science said Merck made the Sudan Ebola vaccine between 2015 and 2016, shortly after it successfully developed VSV-EBOV, which targets Zaire Ebola. Merck froze the other vaccine, which showed promise in animal trials, in bulk form and kept it in a Pennsylvania facility.
https://www.cidrap.umn.edu/news-pers...��