back to top
HomeHealthGovt Extends Ebola Lockdown in Mubende, Kassanda For Three More Weeks

Govt Extends Ebola Lockdown in Mubende, Kassanda For Three More Weeks

Published on

- Advertisement -spot_img

Gov’t on Saturday extended a three-week lockdown on two districts at the centre of an Ebola outbreak which has claimed over 50 lives, curbing travel and closing public places.

Since the outbreak was declared in the central district of Mubende on September 20, the disease has spread across the East African nation, including the capital Kampala.

Fifty-one deaths reported have been reported as of Saturday, according to Ugandan authorities.

The strain now circulating in Uganda is known as the Sudan Ebola virus, for which there is currently no vaccine, although there are several candidate vaccines heading towards clinical trials.

The World Health Organization (WHO) on Wednesday said Uganda had registered over 150 confirmed and probable cases, including 64 fatalities.

President Yoweri Museveni imposed a 21-day lockdown on Mubende and neighbouring Kassanda on October 15, but has said that nationwide curbs were not needed.

On Saturday, Health Minister Ruth Jane Aceng said that “the lockdown of Mubende and Kassanda districts … will be extended for another 21 days.”

These include a dusk-to-dawn curfew, a ban on personal travel and the closure of markets, bars and churches.

“We urge the public to comply and remain vigilant,” she added.

Ebola is spread through bodily fluids, with common symptoms being fever, vomiting, bleeding and diarrhoea.

Outbreaks are difficult to contain, especially in urban environments.

Museveni has also ordered the police to arrest anyone infected with Ebola who refuses to isolate.

WHO on Wednesday warned that there was a high risk of Ebola spreading further and called on neighbouring countries to boost their preparedness.

Uganda’s last recorded fatality from a previous Ebola outbreak was in 2019.

The worst Ebola epidemic in West Africa between 2013 and 2016 killed more than 11,300 people.

Related

Faith of Unity Marks Uganda’s 63rd Independence with Renewed Call for Unity and Development

The Faith of Unity, under the spiritual leadership of Omukama Ruhanga Owobusobozi Bisaka, commemorated...

Shock As EC Asks Court To Block Three Women From Contesting Against Speaker Among In Bukedea

The race for Bukedea District Woman MP in the 2026 general elections has taken...

Lawyers File Habeas Corpus, Seeking Court To Compel Uganda’s Security Chiefs To Free Two Kenyans Arrested From NUP Campaigns

A petition has been filed at the High Court of Uganda in Kampala seeking...

Three Remanded for Impersonating Tycoon Hamis Kiggundu to Defraud Ugandans Online

Uganda Police, working jointly with sister security agencies, have arrested and arraigned three individuals...

More from The Capital Times

Business Boom In Namugongo Ahead Of Martyrs Day

Business has picked up this morning at Namugongo Martyrs shrine according to traders. The...

Here is why the Faras Uganda is the Ultimate Convenience Mobility App for Every Ugandan

Kampala, Uganda – In a fast-paced world where time is increasingly precious, Ugandans are...

Museveni Inaugurates De Heus State Of The Art Fish Feed Factory In Njeru, Buikwe

Njeru, Jinja: De Heus Animal Nutrition, a global leader in animal feed solutions, has...