Kabarole District suspends school visits following surge in suspected Ebola cases
Some of the health workers at Fort Portal Regional Referral Hospital in 2022 dressed in PPEs to avoid the spread of Ebola. Photo by ALEX ASHABA
What you need to know:
In a communiqué dated March 7 and signed by Mr Saleh Kamba, chairperson of the Joint Ebola Taskforce and Kabarole RDC, the measure has been made mandatory for both schools and parents to adhere to
The Fort Portal Tourism City and Kabarole District Joint Ebola Taskforce have suspended school visitations in all boarding schools, effective March 7, 2025, for one month, as a precautionary measure against the potential spread of the Ebola virus.
In a communiqué dated March 7 and signed by Mr Saleh Kamba, chairperson of the Joint Ebola Taskforce and Kabarole RDC, the measure has been made mandatory for both schools and parents to adhere to. As of Friday afternoon, six individuals are suspected of having Ebola and are currently admitted to the isolation unit at Fort Portal Regional Referral Hospital.
In addition to the suspension of school visitations, the taskforce has mandated that all public places—including worship centers, hotels, entertainment venues, markets, bus and taxi parks, and office premises—must implement mandatory temperature screening and provide washing facilities or hand sanitizers.
Other protective measures include avoiding contact with the bodies of suspected Ebola victims, refraining from handshakes and hugs, avoiding the consumption of bushmeat, and steering clear of contact with bodily fluids such as urine, saliva, sweat, vomit, breast milk, and vaginal fluids from infected individuals.
By Friday afternoon, Dr Archbald Newton Bahizi, Acting Director of Fort Portal Regional Referral Hospital, informed this publication that four of the six suspects admitted to the facility were from Ntoroko District, one was from Kabarole District, and another from Kyegegwa District.
Dr Bahizi also revealed that two probable cases—a mother and her child—had been buried in Ntoroko District. He emphasized that bodies of deceased patients would not be released to relatives for burial until samples have been tested. If test results are negative, the body will be handed over for burial. However, if Ebola is confirmed, a specialized medical burial team will conduct the burial following strict safety protocols.
Dr Solomon Asiimwe, Acting Fort Portal City Health Officer, also emphasized that even if a person dies in the village, relatives must wait to bury the body until it has been tested. “All structures have been informed of this, including the village chairperson. In case of death, the family should alert our team so the deceased’s body can be tested. We need to determine the cause of death—people should not rush to bury the deceased,” he said.
Awareness campaigns are already underway, using various platforms to educate the public about Ebola symptoms and encourage reporting suspected cases to health authorities for quick intervention.
“We have trained our frontline health workers to ensure they do not panic when they come into contact with suspected cases. They are instructed to follow screening protocols to identify high-risk individuals for isolation and further management,” Dr Asiimwe said.
He further assured that all health facilities will be equipped with the necessary personal protective equipment (PPE) to safeguard healthcare workers handling suspected Ebola patients.
Regarding probable cases, Dr Asiimwe noted that the Ministry of Health routinely tests deceased individuals to confirm the cause of death. A recent case involved a four-and-a-half-year-old child from Ntoroko District, who was confirmed to have died of Ebola. Tracing efforts revealed that the child's mother had also died two weeks earlier and was buried in Ntoroko District.
