Ebola outbreak in DR Congo, miles away from Uganda. Uganda remains Ebola free
You probably stumbled upon this scoop while looking to confirm whether there is or isn’t an Ebola outbreak in Uganda. I guess you might be planning a safari with one of the tour companies to this ‘gobsmackingly-gorgeous’ continent. Let me fill you in with some detail. Good news: there is no Ebola in Uganda.
Watch this hilarious video by Trevor Noah – “In Contact With Ebola”.
About a month ago an outbreak of the deadly Ebola virus was pronounced in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), more than 100 kilometers from the Ugandan border; very unfortunate news for our brothers and sisters in DRC (the second largest country in Africa actually).
But the awesome news is that Uganda is free of Ebola. There has been no known case of the deadly hemorrhagic fever here. There is no Ebola in Uganda; the country is Ebola-free and still safe to visit.
The last time Uganda faced Ebola. And how Uganda continues to remain free of Ebola
Following the confirmation of the outbreak in the Magina Zone of Mabalako (North Kivu) in the DR Congo, Uganda’s Health Ministry tasked their relief teams to intensify surveillance against the deadly disease; and from past threats, I can’t imagine a country as medically, economically, and technologically prepared and experienced in similar operations as Uganda is in fighting and crushing Ebola.
Actually following a suspected weird disease in Mubende, a district in Uganda, the Minister of Health issued a statement deterring the allegations that the country had an Ebola outbreak.
With the agility of the Ministry in charge of health in Uganda, I am beyond certain that the outbreak in DR Congo this time round is being handled much differently than what happened between 2014 and 2016 when the deadly virus first hit and shook the entire African continent.
Impact on business in the past.
2015 in particular, was around the time that I was completing my final year at the university and hopes of a dream job in the leisure and hospitality industry began to dwindle as blanket cancellations ensued and stung African economies deep and hard. This was the time when the consequences of the outbreak squeezed tour companies and hotels the most.
Many businesses closed shop, many lost safari bookings in hundreds, thousands and millions of dollars, many had to layoff staff; it was literally a very dark time for Africa as many people died (RIP), and families lost loved ones; a loathed time as friends lost dear ones.
But as the olden saying goes “great losses are great lessons”. What Uganda is doing.
That episode lectured countless lessons for Uganda and the country’s response action to epidemics has since improved to first-class status today, each time reports of epidemics of such a manner befall.
Precaution has since been beefed-up, health-entry-screening-machines were purchased and response teams dispatched adding to the military defense deployments along the borders to keep potential threats and intruders out. Hospitals and health centers close to the border crossing points as well as those around the country have been preventatively restocked with additional necessary drugs.
Other key deterrent activities implored by the Health Ministry in Uganda include public health risk mapping to assess movement patterns, enhanced surveillance, and hand washing at points of entry in high-risk districts, alerting other districts about the need for enhanced surveillance, and assessing preparedness in high-risk districts and providing around-the-clock-care. All of thee have helped to maintain no Ebola in Uganda.
Uganda is not only one of the few countries in the world with medics who are most experienced in similar tasks, but the country also has in the recent past been applauded by the World Health Organization (WHO) for having shared its expertise and medics with other countries in times of similar distress, and WHO continues to pledge its support to Uganda. Read the statement by the World Health Organization on the preparedness of Uganda as of 6th August 2018.
Do I sound like I am speaking too nicely of Uganda? Read this article by DW on How Uganda conquered previous Ebola outbreaks.