10 December 2007
editorial
Kampala — AN Ebola isolation centre in Kichwamba, Kabarole district, was on Sunday attacked and vandalised by residents who were protesting its presence there. Local leaders reportedly incited the public. These people are mistaken to think that Ebola is airborne. Their assumption is that once an isolation centre is set up in an area, the people will automatically get infected. No!
Ebola is transmitted through close contact with an infected person's bodily fluids such as saliva, mucus and blood.
That is why the Ministry of Health is monitoring close to 350,000 people who are believed to have had contact with Ebola victims.
It was also wrong for these people to vandalise the centre because if suspected cases escape, it becomes difficult to track them, posing a real danger.
There are also reports that families of some patients are being stigmatised. They are experiencing isolation and some suspected cases are reportedly fleeing their homes. This will only exacerbate the problem.
Those under observation are advised to remain in their homes for the recommended number of days. It is only through complying with this requirement that the health ministry can break the transmission chain.
The stigmatisation reminds us of what happened when Ebola broke out in Gulu in 2000. When some suspected cases were discharged from the hospital, they were either shunned or chased away from their ancestral homes.
But it was easier to fight the disease in Gulu because people restricted their movements. We commend the churches for banning handshakes during prayers.
The Muslims have also heeded to a call by the health ministry not to wash the bodies of suspected Ebola cases. Only through a collaborative approach can we end the epidemic.
It is the duty of all Ugandans to spread the message of how Ebola can be contained. The public should not continue to be alarmed because there are measures in place, including a facility for testing samples at Entebbe.
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