Publish Date: Aug 07, 2012
- Health workers preparing to handle Ebola patients at Kagadi Hospital.
By Taddeo Bwamba Le, Violet Nabatan Zi and Ismael Kasooha
A total of 29 people in Kibaale district, who were initially suspected of having contracted the deadly Ebola virus, have been cleared to return home, the health ministry has said.
Of the 36 cases that are in isolation, only three have been confirmed to have the Ebola virus, the health ministry spokesperson, Rukia Nakamatte, told New Vision online
She said health experts are still monitoring the condition of those that will be discharged before allowing them to return home. However, nine were discharged on Monday, New Vision has learnt.
“We are finalising plans to allow 29 of the cases to return home because they tested negative for the Ebola virus,” she said.
Nakamatte explained that while no new cases have been recorded, the ministry surveillance team is still on high alert.
Nakamatte also disclosed that health experts were monitoring 398 cases believed to have come into contact with people who died of Ebola. Of these, 84 have passed the 21- day period during which signs of infection would have shown, although they are still being monitored.
Dr. Joseph Amonye, the national coordinator of the Ebola task force, said the samples taken from these people were negative and there was no reason of confining them at the isolation centre.
“We have tested their samples and found out that they do not have the Ebola virus,” said Amonye.
Meanwhile, Mulago Hospital has discharged a suspected Ebola patient who was admitted at the isolation camp.
Speaking in an interview with the press at Mulago, the hospital’s executive director, Dr. Baterana Byarugaba, said:
“This suspected patient had gone to Kibaale. He developed features similar to malaria and people thought that he had Ebola. But we have since established that the gentleman does not have Ebola.”
