Uganda’s Minister of Education, Janet Museveni has ordered an early third term closure of the country’s pre-primary, primary and secondary schools in order to curb the spread of Ebola. The schools were meant to start their holidays by December 9, but due to the Minister’s order, they will have to start as early as November 25. Janet Museveni said 23 children have been infected so far, of which 8 have died. As of November 3, the total of cases of confirmed infections in the country were 131, and 48 deaths. The Ebola outbreak in Uganda was reported on September 20 by the local health authorities, after a case was confirmed in a village in Madudu sub-county in Mubende district, central Uganda on September 19. Most of the cases have been recorded in Mubende and Kassanda districts, though there are some that have been identified in places like Kampala, the capital city. According to the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention, the Sudan strain of Ebola, for which there is no proven vaccine, is the one circulating in the country of 45 million people. Ebola, which manifests as a viral haemorrhagic fever, is spread through contact with bodily fluids of an infected person or contaminated materials. Symptoms include fever, vomiting, diarrhoea, muscle pain and at times, internal and external bleeding. Although no Ebola virus case has been confirmed in Rwanda so far, the country has stepped precautions after Uganda, its northern neighbour, confirmed an outbreak in September. For example, medics have been carrying out simulations of how to respond to any reported case, besides other measures of community awareness and sensitization. The Kigali International Airport on Tuesday, November 1 carried out Ebola simulation exercises, preparing the emergency response team in case they receive a suspected case of the highly contagious virus. World Health Organization (WHO) chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said recently that clinical trials of two vaccines could begin in the coming weeks pending Ugandan government approvals, without naming the vaccines.
