Health Ministry to Meet School Heads, Parents as Six Children Contract Ebola

The ministry of Health has revealed that six school-going children in three schools in Rubaga division in Kampala have tested positive for Ebola.

Speaking at the Uganda Media Center on Wednesday, the Health Minister, Dr Jane Ruth Aceng, said the children who attend three different schools in Kampala are among the 15 people in the city confirmed to have been infected with Ebola.
The schools include; Green Valley Primary School, Mirembe Nursery School, and Godswill Primary School, all in located in Kampala.

She said the children are members of a family exposed to the disease by a man who travelled from one Ebola-hit district, sought treatment in Kampala and died there.

According to the ministry, he is responsible for infecting the family of seven including the neighbours and many others.

Dr Aceng said they are following up with 170 contacts from the schools that the six children attend.

The Director General Health Services, Dr. Henry Mwebesa, said they will Friday meet the Headmaster/Headmistress of these schools.

He added that the parents of the children will also take part in the meeting that is meant to curb the escalation of the disease which poses a significant risk to other learners within the schools and to their family members.

“The Hon. Minister of Health will lead a team of officials on Friday 29 October 2022 to discuss with parents of the children who were in the same classes with the Ebola positive children. Such children are now considered as contacts,” Mwebesa said, adding, that the parents and teachers will be offered guidance on rapid detection, prevention and control of EVD in schools.