The restrictive measures that have been imposed in the regions of Mubende and Kassandra include the prohibition of night traffic, the prohibition of movements to and from these areas, the closure of markets, bars and places of worship.
The President of Uganda, Yoweri Museveni, yesterday Saturday imposed a new extension for 21 days, in other words until December 17, of the lockdown in two central regions characterized as the epicenter of the Ebola virus epidemic, which has claimed the lives of at least 55 people, assuring at the same time that its spread is on its way to an end.
Since the outbreak was officially declared on September 20, the virus has reached the capital, Kampala, although health authorities last week said the number of cases was falling rapidly.
The two central regions at the heart of the outbreak, Mubende and Kassandra, were placed under lockdown for 21 days initially on 15 October. The measure, which includes the prohibition of night traffic, the prohibition of movement to and from these areas, the closure of markets, bars and places of worship, was renewed on November 5.
Announcing that the blockade was being renewed for a third time, for another 21 days, President Museveni explained that the situation remained “still fragile”. “If we open now and a new case appears, we will have destroyed the gains we have secured in this war,” he stressed.
“I thus appeal for calm and understanding. Our health workers will continue to do everything to save lives and end the epidemic,” added the head of state.
Based on the criteria of the World Health Organization, an epidemic ends when no new case of the disease is confirmed for 42 consecutive days, that is, for a period of time twice as long as it takes for the Ebola virus to incubate.
Health Minister Jane Ruth Atseng told AFP last week that the number of confirmed cases had fallen sharply, citing signs that Uganda was on course to “win” this race.
The WHO office in Uganda reported last Thursday that as of November 22, no cases had been recorded for nine days in Kampala, ten days in Mubende and twelve days in Kassandra.
According to official figures from Uganda’s Ministry of Health, the epidemic has claimed the lives of 55 people out of a total of 141 laboratory-confirmed infections in the East African country.
The strain of Ebola that caused the outbreak in Uganda is the Sudanese strain, one of the rarest, for which there is no proven effective vaccine, unlike the Zaire strain that was responsible for the most recent outbreaks in DR Congo
RES-EMP
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