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Suspected Ebola case turns out negative
Health Minister Jane Ruth Aceng. PHOTO | COURTESY
What you need to know:
According to media reports, the suspected case was a man who exhibited Ebola-like symptoms before collapsing and dying at the trading center in Jinja
Test results of samples collected from the body of a man suspected to have died of Ebola in Jinja on Friday have turned out negative, the Health Ministry announced Sunday night.
According to media reports, the government surveillance team collected samples that were sent to Kampala and Entebbe for tests to determine the exact cause of the death.
"The laboratory tests results of the suspect from Buwenge, Jinja District turned out negative for Ebola and other viral hemorrhagic fevers at both Central Public Health Laboratories and Uganda Virus Research Institute laboratories," the Health Minister, Dr Jane Aceng said in a tweet Sunday night.
She added: "I thank the community of Buwenge for their vigilance by suspecting this case, timely reporting, and taking all the necessary precautions, that's the way to go."
According to reports, the suspected case was a man who exhibited Ebola-like symptoms before collapsing and dying at the trading center in Jinja. The deceased was identified as 48-year-old Anthony Mutebe.
The symptoms and his eventual death caused a lot of anxiety to the dwellers in the district and the country, just three months after the country was declared Ebola-free in January.
In the September 2022 outbreak, 142 people contracted the virus leaving 56 dead and 86 recoveries, according to statistics from the Health Ministry.
The negative results from the government laboratories relieve the anxiety that was building in the population.
