There’s an ongoing outbreak of Ebola in the Democratic Republic of Congo, which has led to 1,400 deaths so far. This has consequently led to the first Ebola case reported in Uganda, where a five-year-old boy arrived the country after crossing from the DRC. According to the World Health Organization (WHO) on Tuesday, the boy was diagnosed of the virus along with his grandmother and three-year-old sibling and died in an isolation unit.
“The young patient – 5- year-old index case of #Ebola died last night. Two more samples were sent to UVRI and have tested positive. We, therefore, have three confirmed cases of #Ebola in #Uganda“- @JaneRuth_Aceng https://t.co/oypAqpNZEW
— WHO Uganda (@WHOUganda) June 12, 2019
The first case of Ebola was reported last August, and the outbreak is the second-largest in the history of the disease with a significant spike in new cases in recent weeks. Uganda and the DRC are neighbouring countries, and it’s only a matter of time before Uganda becomes a hot zone for the virus. Frankly, I’m a little bit on the edge, and maybe it’s because I just finished watching the HBO show Chernobyl based on the Chernobyl nuclear plant catastrophe that led to a staggering number of deaths and cancer incidences.
Following the spread of #Ebola to #Uganda from #DRC, I am reconvening the IHR Emergency Committee on 14 June in Geneva to ascertain whether the outbreak constitutes a public health emergency of international concern. This will be the 3rd meeting of the committee on this outbreak. pic.twitter.com/tchEuKmu6k
— Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus (@DrTedros) June 12, 2019
In Uganda, mass gatherings including market days and prayers have been cancelled. Market days in the town of Kasese attracts an estimated 20,000 people at the border area. It’s amazing that Uganda is taking measures to combat the spread of Ebola while the DRC is seemingly doing nothing. Furthermore, it’s never too early to start re-sensitising Nigerians about Ebola and practicing good hygiene.
We can still remember Nigeria’s reported case of Ebola, brought in by the Liberian Patrick Sawyer when he flew into Lagos, and how it was contained by Dr. Stella Adadevoh who lost her life in the process. We can still remember the mass panic and hysteria. A such, our borders, checkpoints and airports need to be rigorously screened to ensure the virus is kept out. Our government needs to be more pro-active, if we are going to be able to beat Ebola again.
When Bernard Dayo isn’t writing about pop culture, he’s watching horror movies and reading comics and trying to pretend his addiction to Netflix isn’t a serious condition.
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