Let us not downplay Ebola disease outbreak

President Museveni said during his televised address to the nation on the Ebola outbreak last week that it is easy to manage Ebola because the disease is not as transmissible as Covid-19.

Whereas this may give hope to the public and may address fears that had reportedly started affecting our struggling tourism sector through the cancellation of visits, the message may also increase complacency in the population.

Ebola is more deadly than Covid-19, according to the Health ministry. The current Ebola outbreak in Mubende District was triggered by the Sudan Ebola virus whose death risk ranges from 25 percent to 90 percent for infected persons, according to the World Health Organisation (WHO). This is several times higher than the case fatality rate of Covid-19 which is at around three percent.

Moreover, the number of cases and deaths has been rising. A total of 43 confirmed Ebola cases and nine virus deaths had been registered in the country by Wednesday, which is an increase from one confirmed case and death last Tuesday, according to the Health ministry. These figures exclude suspected cases and probable deaths.

However, Mr Museveni in his address last week acknowledged that in the previous outbreaks, out of 100 people who got Ebola, 53 died.

In the 2000 Ebola outbreak in Uganda, 425 people contracted the disease and 224 died, partly because of the lack of experience and preparedness to handle the cases, according to information from WHO.

The Sudan Ebola virus, a strain that triggered the outbreak, has no approved vaccine. Ministry of Health says discussions are going on whether they can use a vaccine for Zaire Ebola virus, which WHO is not supporting because of lack of evidence. WHO says there are candidate vaccines for the Sudan Ebola virus, which are yet to be tested on a large scale before approval.

These issues signal gaps in the ability of the country to effectively control the spread and Ebola-related deaths. This means citizens should take the outbreak as a serious issue, adhere to preventive measures and cooperate with health workers to prevent its spread. People should not escape from isolation and treatment centres as reported.

Escaping from Ebola isolation or treatment centre increases the risk of dying of disease, transmitting it to our loved ones and the public. This in turn prolongs the fight against the outbreak and increases related deaths and disruptions to livelihood.

When detected and treated early, the risk of dying from Ebola is significantly reduced because Ugandan doctors are some of the most experienced in the continent when it comes to treating Ebola.

Communities should collaborate with health workers to identify a person suspected or confirmed to have escaped from isolation and treatment centres. The community should also report to health facilities or local authorities, anyone with symptoms similar to that of Ebola.

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