Panic as suspected Ebola patient collapses at Masaka Hospital
Masaka Regional Referral hospital emergency unit sealed off. This is where the suspected Ebola patient is admitted. PHOTO | ISSA ALIGA.
What you need to know:
- The patient who was bleeding from the nose and vomiting was helped by the doctors who put him in one of the intensive care units before samples were taken from him
There was panic at Masaka Regional Referral Hospital Tuesday evening after a suspected Ebola patient who allegedly escaped from Mubende, showed up seeking medical attention.
The 28-year-old man said he is among the three patients who escaped from the Mubende Regional Referral Hospital isolation unit last week.
According to Dr Edwin Okello, in charge of Masaka Referral Hospital emergency unit, they have received five suspected cases of Ebola since Monday. Blood samples drawn from them were taken to the Uganda Virus Research Institute (UVRI) Entebbe for testing.
He said the 28-year-old man brought himself to the facility and collapsed immediately after arriving.
"The patient who was bleeding from the nose and vomiting was helped by the doctors who put him in one of the intensive care units before samples were taken from him," Dr Okello said.
He said this man narrated how he escaped with the other two from Mubende hospital isolation units and that one of them had travelled towards the Mutukula border. Another is hiding in Masaka city after he stopped at the Matanga trading centre in Masaka City.
"He says he doesn't have relatives in Masaka but escaped from Mubende fearing that he could be quarantined or arrested," Dr Okello said.
Meanwhile, the Kalungu East MP, Mr Francis Katabazi, has cautioned people in the area to be extra vigilant and avoid catching Ebola by following the precautionary measures provided by the government.
