Ebola emergency: We should remain alert

What you need to know:

  • The issue: Ebola a global emergency
    Our view: We should, therefore, pay keen attention to all border entry points spread across different districts to prevent new cases of Ebola.

The World Health Organisation (WHO), the body in charge of coordinating the global response to diseases, last week declared the Ebola outbreak in DR Congo “a public health emergency of international concern”. This pronouncement comes about a year after the outbreak of the deadly virus in DRC’s North Kivu province.

The declaration by WHO has raised concern globally and questions have been asked about whether Ebola is indeed a threat to the world. There are parameters that inform decisions such as the declaration of Ebola as a global health emergency. For Uganda, what should concern us is our proximity to DRC, the epicentre of the outbreak.

It is worrying that the current Ebola outbreak in DRC has so far infected more than 2,500 people and killed nearly 1,700, according to the country’s Health ministry. Control measures are further complicated by the nature of North Kivu province – largely remote and affected by conflicts. These factors limit access to medical care, which frustrates disease control.

For countries that share a common border with DRC notably Uganda, the immediate concern is the disease spilling over. Our borders are particularly porous with most parts not manned by security and immigration.

For Uganda’s border towns such as Kasese and Arua, the situation is more delicate because several people cross into Uganda from DRC daily, going to markets and visiting relatives. This poses a huge risk, especially where there are no screening points at the border.

Indeed in June, Uganda registered a case of Ebola in the western border district of Kasese. The victim, a five-year-old boy who later died, entered Uganda with his family through Bwera Border post.
Uganda, however, acted swiftly with the Health ministry and WHO sending a team to Kasese District to trace likely cases and vaccinate those who may have come into contact with suspected cases.

Residents in Kasese District also responded positively to preventive measures such as public hand washing facilities with bold inscriptive messages in English, Kiswahili, Lhukonzo and French. The outbreak in Uganda has thus been contained as a result of public awareness and quick response by the government and WHO.

While Uganda is relatively well prepared to handle Ebola cases, eastern DRC, where Ebola is prevalent, also suffers sporadic conflicts, forcing frequent influx of refugees into Uganda. Such a scenario would present a complex health emergency for Uganda, however prepared our response team may be.

We should, therefore, pay keen attention to all border entry points spread across different districts to prevent new cases of Ebola.