President Museveni has moved to calm public anxiety over the recent Ebola outbreak, assuring Ugandans that the country’s health and surveillance systems are on high alert and fully capable of containing the situation.
Uganda has confirmed two imported cases of the Ebola Bundibugyo strain, both involving individuals who travelled from the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).
One of the patients has since died, while the second is a contact of the deceased.
The confirmation has triggered public concern and across parts of the country especially with the World Health Organisation amplifying the situation by declaring it an international health emergency and repeatedly - and falsely - naming Uganda as having an outbreak.
However, speaking during the opening ceremony of this year’s Pearl of Africa Tourism Expo (POATE) at Speke Resort Hotel in Munyonyo, Museveni sought to allay those fears, arguing that Ebola is easier to control than Covid-19.
“I was watching CNN spreading fear through ignorance. Ebola is much easier to control than Covid. Covid was one of the biggest problems in the world. It was one of the most dangerous pandemics because it was spreading through breathing. We sit in the same bus, even if I am some metres away you can infect me. We sit in the same room, you can infect me with Covid. That is why it was very dangerous,” Museveni said.
He added that Uganda had been among the most successful countries in controlling Covid-19, noting that Ebola presents a more manageable transmission pattern.
“We lost very few people, about 200. You can check what other countries lost. Here we controlled it with few losses. Therefore, Ebola is nothing compared to Corona. It spreads by intimate contact. Intimate contact is how Ebola spreads and even then, somebody infected by Ebola is not infective all the time. It is only when symptoms show, after five or 10 days,” he said.
Museveni further noted that early detection remains key to survival, urging the public to immediately report suspected cases.
“If you report Ebola early, it is treatable because you counter the damage it causes to you. It kills by high fever which damages your organs and doctors can control it if reported in time. Vomiting and so on causes dehydration. With early intervention, you rehydrate. Somebody infected can be treated,” he said.
The President also criticised international media coverage, accusing some outlets of spreading panic.
Museveni, however, ruled out the closure of border points with the DRC, saying both countries can effectively manage the situation through screening, monitoring travellers, and isolating suspected cases with fever at health facilities.