Health Workers Embark on Sensitizing Locals, Patients On Ebola

This week, the Ministry of Health confirmed 14 cases of the Ebola Virus Disease.

On Tuesday 24th October, the Minister of Health Dr. Jane Ruth Aceng announced that seven family members from Masanafu and one health worker who managed a patient private clinic together with his wife from Seguku had tested positive for the virus.

The Ministry also announced another five cases of the deadly disease that were transferred to the Entebbe Isolation for Treatment Unit from Kawaala Health Center.

Prior to that, on October 23, 2022, nine  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.

During her address to the media on the current status of Ebola, Dr Aceng said 109 people have been confirmed with Ebola, of whom 30 succumbed, 34 treated and 45 are under treatment in 35 days since the declaration of the outbreak. 

Now, health workers at health facilities under the Kampala Capital City Authority-KCCA are sensitizing patients and their care takers to be extra vigilant, report in time when Ebola symptoms surface and how to prevent the deadly disease.

The health facilities have also installed hand washing equipment and mandatory wearing of face masks for patients seeking to access treatment.

Dr. Alex Ndyabakira, the City Incident Commander says they have instructed all health facilities to be on the alert and monitor all the signs and symptoms that patients present with to prevent further spread of the Ebola virus disease.

The officer in charge at Kiswa Health Center, Senior Nursing Officer Irene Nabukwasi says the staff are under instruction to incorporate Ebola in their health communication to the over 800 patients they receive at the facility daily.

Nabukwasi also says that they are holding continuous medical education sessions for their health workers to ensure that they are ready to deal appropriately with patients who might be victims of Ebola.

“Every week, we are holding continuous medical Education to sensitize the staff on vigilance, even patients. We have education materials with signs, symptoms, telling them the disease is very infectious yet easy to manage”  she says

Kiswa is not a designated treatment facility but attends to hundreds of patients from different communities of Bugoloobi, Nakawa, Kitintale and others who might have contracted Ebola.