Parents, schools, urged to be more vigilant as Ebola cases confirmed in Kampala

The health ministry has urged parents and schools in Kampala to increase vigilance and SOPs following confirmed cases of Ebola among some students in Rubaga division of Kampala.

Health minister Dr. Jane Ruth Aceng informed the country that the students who tested positive for Ebola South Sudan-strain are part of contacts of the fatal case from Kassanda district who passed on in Mulago.

Dr Aceng called upon schools to prioritise safety of their learners following discovery of positive Ebola cases recorded among students in Rubaga, Kampala.

One of those battling the disease is a primary seven candidate due to sit her Primary Leaving Examinations next month. Efforts are being made to ensure she is able to sit the exams.

To deter the faster spread of Ebola in schools as hotspot areas, Dr. Aceng reiterated the decision by government to equip schools with more surveillance devices to bolster their capacity to contain the outbreak.

Those that test positive, specialised treatment areas have been gazetted where they will be treated at government’s cost.

There are no plans to close the schools found with positive cases of Ebola.

In Mubende, efforts are ongoing to identify how the virus crossed into humans – including testing some birds for the disease.