Ebola suspect dies at Fort Portal regional referral hospital
Health workers wearing protective gear before handling Ebola patients. FILE PHOTO
What you need to know:
- Kabarole District health officer Dr Richard Mugahi said they will confirm the results from the sent blood samples within 24 hours.
KABAROLE. One suspected Ebola patient died at Fort Portal regional referral hospital in western Uganda on Monday.
The suspect from Bundibugyo District rushed for burial by the Fort Portal Ebola task force team.
Dr Karissa Kyebambe, the deputy hospital administrator at Fort Portal regional referral hospital confirmed that the suspect died on Monday afternoon and was one of the alert cases of Ebola and his blood samples have been taken to Entebbe virus research institute for analysis.
“What I can say is that we received the patient as one of the alert cases of Ebola and we have taken the blood samples and after confirmation, I shall tell you but you should know that in Uganda, we have not declared any Ebola case,” Dr Kyembabe said.
He said that as a health facility, they receive many alert cases but they test negative.
Rev Gad Mugisha, one of the members of Ebola task force team for Kabarole District said after the death of the patient, they immediately safe guarded the body and transported it to Bundibugyo District for burial.
“What I can comment now is that we have reached Ntoroko going to Bundibugyo with the body and we shall burry him immediately and we come back,” he said.
A Google map showing the location of Fort Portal regional referral hospital
At Fort Portal regional referral hospital where the patient died, there was panic among patients in male ward where the suspect had been admitted. Patients said the medical staff took long to remove him from the ward.
“If the deceased is an Ebola case that means all of us need to be examined because the body spent hours in the ward and by the time he was taken, many of us were not aware” said Ms Jane Kasiime, a patient who was found at the facility on Monday evening.
Early this month, the health ministry kicked off the Ebola vaccination in the five risk districts of Rwenzori sub region and four of them have been covered save for Kabarole District where the exercise will start on Wednesday.
The exercise is targeting frontline health workers in the five risk districts of Kabarole, Bunyangabu, Kasese, Bundibugyo and Ntoroko.
Kabarole District health officer Dr Richard Mugahi said they will confirm the results from the sent blood samples within 24 hours.
