Foreign ministry warns travelers to Uganda of Ebola
outbreak
2012/08/07 15:45:32
Taipei, Aug. 7 (CNA) Taiwanese planning on
visiting Uganda should be aware of an outbreak of Ebola virus there that has
left more than a dozen people dead, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said
Tuesday.
"Those who are traveling to the African country should pay close
attention to the situation," said Wang Chien-yeh, the director-general of the
ministry's Department of African Affairs.
As of Aug. 3, there were 53
suspected cases of Ebola hemorrhagic fever, including 16 deaths, according to
the World Health Organization.
The seriousness of the Ebola outbreak has even prompted Ugandan President Yoweri
Museveni to urge residents of the country to avoid unnecessary physical contact
and unsafe sex, Wang said at a routine press conference.
"Ebola spreads
by contact when you contact each other physically. ... Avoid shaking of hands,
because that can cause contact through sweat, which can cause problems," AFP
quoted Museveni as saying in a state broadcast.
Currently, about 20
Taiwanese businessmen and their families reside in Uganda.
The Ebola
virus is transmitted by direct contact with the blood, body fluids and tissues
of infected persons. Transmission has also occurred by handling sick or dead
infected wild animals.
The Ebola virus can cause severe viral hemorrhagic
fever outbreaks in humans and has a fatality rate of up to 90 percent. http://focustaiwan.tw/ShowNews/WebNews_Detail.aspx?Type=aALL&ID=201208070019
