The World Health Organisation (WHO) is appealing for US$ 88.2 million to contribute to the reduction of mortality and morbidity associated with the current Ebola Disease outbreak in Uganda.
WHO Director-General, Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, says this money will help prevent the spread of the virus to other districts as well as to neighbouring countries with minimum disruption of social and health systems.
Last week, Mubende district received a total of 5,600 Ebola Personal Protective Equipment from the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) through WHO.
The US agency said this would strengthen the protection of health workers while managing Ebola patients.
This is part of the 15,000 PPEs recently donated by USAID to Uganda.
On Saturday, WHO handed over 9000 information posters and 1000 thermometers to Kampala Capital City Authority (KCCA) and Makindye to raise awareness about the Ebola outbreak and monitor Ebola contacts in Kampala.
This is part of WHO’s support to strengthen surveillance activities in Uganda.
Before, the health body supported the orientation of 20 staff members and 400 learners on Ebola preparedness at a school in Mubende district.
“It aims to strengthen screening, the early identification of the disease, reporting to health authorities & implementation of public health measures in the school,” it said in a statement.
It further conducted a two-day training of 42 senior epidemiologists from the Ministry of Health to strengthen surveillance activities in the Ebola-affected districts.
“Their support will help improve case investigation, contact tracing and alert system.”
On Wednesday, Dr Tedros told the press that 135 confirmed and 21 probable cases of Ebola have now been reported from eight different districts, with 53 confirmed and 21 probable deaths. So far, 62 patients have recovered.
The government’s efforts to respond to the outbreak in the district of Mubende, where the outbreak began, appear to be paying off.
However, in the past two weeks, the majority of cases have been reported from the capital Kampala, and the district of Kassanda.
One case has also been reported from the district of Masaka. Over the weekend, Health Minister Dr Jane Ruth Aceng, reported another death in Jinja district bringing the total to 54 deaths.
“The detection of cases in several different districts is clearly concerning.
Our primary focus now is to strengthen contact tracing, community engagement, and infection prevention and control measures,” Dr Tedros said.
“WHO is continuing to support the Government of Uganda in every dimension of the response, including establishing and equipping treatment centres, providing generators, training health workers and much more.”
He added: “To fund our work supporting the Government of Uganda to respond to the outbreak, and to support neighbouring countries to prepare for any cross-border transmission, WHO is appealing for US$88 million.”
On 20 September 2022, the health authorities in Uganda declared an outbreak of Ebola Disease after a case of Sudan ebolavirus (SUDV) was confirmed in the Mubende district in the central part of the country.