On 24 July 2012, the Ministry of Health (MoH) of Uganda notified WHO of an
outbreak of Ebola haemorrhagic fever from Kibaale district, midwestern Uganda.
The first case belonged to a family in Nyanswiga village in Nyamarunda
sub-county in Kibaale district.
As of 31 July, 2012, a total of 38 cumulative cases,
including 16 deaths have been reported. Laboratory
investigations conducted at the Uganda Virus Research Institute (UVRI), Entebbe,
Uganda, confirmed Ebola virus.
The Ministry of Health, Uganda has activated the National Task Force that is
meeting daily to review progress and also provide daily media briefs. The
Kibaale district Ebola Task Force has also been formed to better coordinate
field response. The neighboring districts have been put on high alert about the
outbreak and to step up surveillance.
A team of experts from MoH, WHO, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
(CDC) MSF Spain, MSF Holland, Red Cross is in Kibaale to support the response
operations. All possible contacts that were exposed to the suspected and
confirmed cases are being identified for active follow up. The
necessary supplies and logistics required for supportive management of patients
are being mobilized.
Kibaale hospital has established an isolation ward for suspected, probable
and confirmed cases. Currently, there are 18 cases admitted on the
isolation ward. Medicines Sans Frontiers (MSF) Holland has mobilized
resources for setting up an isolation centre at the hospital. Although the MoH
and Mulago Hospital have mobilized some staff to manage the isolation centre,
more are urgently needed.
WHO is supporting the Ministry of Health response to the outbreak. To date,
WHO has deployed epidemiologists and provided essential equipment for personal
protection and safe disposal of bodies. Additional experts that will
arrive in the next 48 hours include a logistician and an
epidemiologist.
Control activities already in place are active case finding and contact
tracing, enhanced surveillance and reinforcing infection control practices case
management, social mobilization and coordination meetings.
WHO does not recommend that any travel or trade restrictions be applied to
Uganda.
http://www.afro.who.int/en/clusters-a-programmes/dpc/epidemic-a-pandemic-alert-and-response/outbreak-news/3647-ebola-outbreak-in-uganda-as-of-01-august-2012.html
