Uganda’s Ebola incident commander talks with Scientific American about the outbreak’s spread, the country’s response and the risk of cross-border transmission
A 24-year-old man who tested positive for Ebola virus disease caused by Sudan ebolavirus was the first confirmed case in Uganda’s ongoing Ebola outbreak, but health authorities believe he was probably not the initial, or index, case. As of October 9, confirmed cases totaled 48, with 17 deaths, according to the Ministry of Health Uganda. But those numbers will likely continue to rise.
Patrick Otim, health emergency officer of the Acute Events Management Unit at the World Health Organization’s Regional Office for Africa, says the response relies on the continual cooperation of the affected communities and the responders. So far community members have been cooperating, Otim says. “The teams that are [in] the field are receiving cooperation from the community in terms of investigation, listing of contacts and referral of suspected cases,” he says.
Scientific American spoke with Kyobe Henry Bbosa, Ebola incident commander at Uganda’s Ministry of Health, about the outbreak’s spread, as well as the country’s preparedness, response and public health strategies.What do we know about how and when the outbreak started?
South Africa Latest News, South Africa Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
WHO calls for more international aid to prevent Ebola from spreading beyond UgandaThe World Health Organization said Uganda needs more support from the international community to contain the outbreak of Ebola.
Read more »
LA County Health Dept. Announces Plan for Uganda Ebola OutbreakLos Angeles County health officials announced a plan to screen for Ebola from passengers who are traveling from Uganda just a week after the federal government announced its own plan.
Read more »
LA County Health Dept. Announces Plan for Uganda Ebola OutbreakLos Angeles County health officials announced a plan to screen for Ebola from passengers who are traveling from Uganda just a week after the federal government announced its own plan.
Read more »
WHO calls for more international aid to prevent Ebola from spreading beyond UgandaThe World Health Organization said Uganda needs more support from the international community to contain the outbreak of Ebola.
Read more »
'Africa on its own': Little help for 1.3 billion people in epidemics, says officialAfrica must plan to respond to outbreaks without outside help, a top health official said, warning that the continent is 'on its own' during pandemics.
Read more »