Date: Thu 21 Dec 2000
From: M. Cosgriff <mcosgriff@hotmail.com>
Source: New Vision (Kampala), Wed 20 Dec 2000 [edited]
http://allafrica.com/s tories/200012200119.html
Upbeat Assessment of Ebola Fever Situation in Uganda
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KAMPALA: The outbreak of Ebola hemorrhagic fever in Uganda is fading fast
with only 2 deaths reported in the past 11 days, taking the death toll to
162, officials said on Tue 19 Dec 2000.
"It is very, very encouraging," said Alex Opio, the Assistant Commissioner
for National Disease Control. "But we will not relax until we have had
zero deaths for 42 days."
The deadly Ebola hemorrhagic fever virus, first identified in the northern
district of Gulu in October, spread to 2 other districts before being
contained. Opio said that between 250 and 300 people were still being
monitored in Gulu district, and 150 in the neighbouring Masindi district,
where 15 people have died from the disease. Mbarara district has already
been declared free of Ebola, after passing a 42-day deadline (twice the
length of the maximum incubation period) with no new cases reported.
At the epidemic's peak in late October, hospitals in Gulu were admitting up
to 17 new patients each day. But the number of cases has fallen steadily
since then as the government, with the help of the World Health
Organisation and other international agencies, launched a well-orchestrated
public awareness campaign and stepped up medical care.
Teams of health workers have visited dozens of villages to track down those
who had been in direct contact with the Ebola victims. But Opio warned
people in affected areas to remain vigilant over the Christmas period, when
traditionally there is a lot of eating and drinking from shared bowls and
cups.
--
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