By Ismael Kasooha
A health worker who survived a recent Ebola outbreak broke down in tears after the country was declared free of the disease.
Now the government is calling for an international travel bans on its citizens to be lifted.
“Following the World Health Organisation’s guidelines I now declare Uganda Ebola free after no cases have reported since the last confirmed case was discharged from the isolations centre,” said Minister for Health Sarah Opendi who is in charge of primary healthcare.
The minister confirmed the country had been Ebola free for the mandatory 42 days as required by the World Health Organisation (WHO). The last case of Ebola was discharged on the 24 August, since then no Ebola case has been reported in the country.
Opendi said the country, through the Ministry of Health, has developed strategies and means to detect and manage such epidemics in future.
“We managed to contain this epidemic so fast due to the immediate response when the epidemic was confirmed,” said Opendi.
The minister thanked President Yoweri Museveni for being at the forefront in community mobilisation when the epidemic was confirmed. “I want to commend the president for his efforts in mobilising Ugandans to prevent the spread of the disease and this is what a leader should be,” she said.
Gloria Tumwijukye, a health worker and one of the Ebola survivors, shed tears while narrating her ordeal, saying that she had thought she would die after falling ill with the disease.
“I contracted Ebola when I was attending to a an expectant mother who had come at St. Ambrose health centre in Kagadi without knowing that she was sick, and unfortunately after a week I also fell sick,” said Tumwijukye, who was recruited by the Infectious Diseases Institute and posted to St. Ambrose health centre under the Saving Mothers Giving Life project.
Two health workers beside from Tumwijukye contracted the deadly disease. Claire Muhumuza, a senior clinical officer attached to Kagadi hospital, succumbed to it while Mary Asaba, who was working at Muhorro health centre III, survived.
Dr. Joaquin Saweka, the WHO country representative, said Uganda needs to develop its capacity in infection control because health workers die during every disease outbreak, especially Ebola.
“There is need for routine infection control for the Ministry of Health to avoid deaths of the health workers while at work,” Saweka said.
He added that Uganda is prone to disease outbreaks and asked the government to build its capacity in disease control and surveillance by investing in the health sector.
“The Ugandan government should invest more in disease surveillance to reduce on morbidity [deaths] when epidemics hit,” said Saweka.
The Centres for Disease Control, IDI, Uganda Red Cross society, World Vision and local NGOs were awarded with certificates of recognition for playing a great role in the fight against the outbreak.
