Three more suspected Ebola deaths registered in Kibaale

Sunday, August 12  2012 at  01:00Kibaale.


Medical officials in Kibaale District on Friday registered three more suspected cases of people killed by Ebola, bringing the death registered in communities from suspected Ebola hemorrhagic fever to over 20.

The three died from three different areas of Bufunjo Sub-county, Kyenjojo District: Yerusalemu LCI, Kashagari Parish in Kyakabadiima Sub-county and Kahyooro village in Bwamiramira Sub-county.

The Kibaale District Health Officer, Dr Dan Kyamanywa, who confirmed the deaths, said the district Ebola taskforce sent a burial team to the respective villages to bury the deceased.

The residents of the areas where the deceased were residing were apparently terrified by the untimely death of the patients and petitioned the health officials to intervene.
“We sent the burial team which also obtained samples from the deceased,” Mr Kyamanywa told Sunday Monitor on Friday evening.

The samples were by press time being taken to the Uganda Virus Research Institute for testing. While tests have confirmed that 16 people died of the hemorrhagic fever, medical surveillance teams say death registered in communities suspected to be as a result of Ebola continues to rise and is estimated to be over 20.
By press time, many residents of Kibaale were concerned that renewed infection rates could further worsen the prevalence of the disease. But Dr Kyamanywa urged the public to be calm, saying the medical team had intensified surveillance to detect any new infections.

The Ministry of Health on Wednesday cleared Kagadi Hospital in Kibaale District, which has been handling cases of Ebola patients, to resume normal routine. This was after Kibaale District health authorities on Tuesday discharged 10 patients who were admitted at Kagadi Hospital on suspicion of being infected with Ebola.

A total of 408 people, have been monitored for possible signs of Ebola. Of these, 190 have passed the 21 days necessary for monitoring and were cleared while 211 cases are still being followed up.
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