Unstoppable? Ebola spreads further, claims Uganda lives

The deadly Ebola Virus Disease mostly known as just Ebola has spread its tentacles to Uganda after it’s been able to maintain its latest assault on the Democratic Republic of Congo since August 2018.

It made its dreaded Uganda entry when a five-year-old boy returned there from the DRC on 9 June. He had Ebola symptoms and was transferred to an Ebola treatment unit in Bwera.

Sadly, as is true of Ebola that it claims its victims very fast if not immediately treated properly, he died the following day, and not just him, but also his grandmother.

Reacting to the boy’s confirmation as being infected with Ebola, Robert Kwesiga of the Uganda Red Cross, said, “This is a worrying development, but we’ve been preparing for this day for months now. We’ve been scaling up our efforts, in close coordination with government and other actors to help communities prepare for Ebola, and to contain its spread.”

The Uganda border is close to the epicentre of the current DRC outbreak which is now the second largest Ebola outbreak ever recorded.

Uganda Red Cross, with support from the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC), has trained hundreds of community-based volunteers in anticipation of the potential spread of Ebola.

Volunteers have been trained in Ebola screening as well as in risk communication and community engagement, community-based surveillance and psychosocial support.

In addition, the Red Cross has procured equipment for safe and dignified burials and has provided training and technical support to the Ministry of Health on the delivery of safe and dignified burials in Uganda.

IFRC is also supporting the National Red Cross Societies of Burundi, Rwanda and South Sudan to prepare for Ebola's potential arrival.