Ugandan Ebola outbreak is being successfully contained according to the World Health Organization
The World Health Organization says that the Ugandan Ebola outbreak is being successfully contained.
A WHO representative in Uganda reported that all known victims of Ebola and those whom they had contact with have been isolated.
The first few cases presented inconsistent symptoms, so Ebola was not conclusively diagnosed until several days later. This delay, Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni said, allowed the disease to spread unnecessarily.
The first case of Ebola was confirmed on July 28th. Since then, WHO reported at least 16 deaths and 20 confirmed cases.
In an effort to contain the spread of the deadly disease, isolation centers have been established in local hospitals and 176 people on the “Ebola contact list” have been quarantined in their homes, according to the Associated Press.
Reuters reports that nine of the 32 patients in a west Ugandan hospital are responding well to treatments.
There is no vaccine and no known cure for Ebola, which is transmitted through contact of bodily fluids like blood, saliva, and sweat. The AP reports that this is the fourth outbreak since 2000, when Ebola left 224 people dead in northern Uganda.
