Update on Uganda
Reporters from Uganda’s daily publication New Vision write that four people with Ebola symptoms have died. If laboratory reports confirm the presence of the virus, the death toll will be 18.
There is also a reported suspect case in Mbarara, which is south east of Kibaale and Kampala. The Ministry of Health is closely following those that have had contact with the confirmed and suspected cases of Ebola to ensure that the disease does not spread further.
The Kibaale district chairperson, George William Namyaka has banned all public activities to prevent the spread of Ebola, despite the WHO’s statement that travel and trade restrictions are not being recommended.
Has Ebola Reached Kenya?
Latest as of 8.1.2012 11h15 EST: According to the Kenya Broadcasting Corporation, the Kenyan Government says Kenya is Ebola-free. The samples from the below case are still being processed, but the Head of Disease Prevention and Control at the Ministry of Public Health and Sanitation, Dr. Willis Akhwale, expressed doubts that the case is Ebola because the patient did not have a high fever, which is typical of Ebola.
The Kenyan media has claimed there is a suspected Ebola case in Siaya. The Capital News reports that the suspected case is a 27-year-old man who was admitted to a solitary ward in Siaya District Hospital after he displayed bleeding gums and bloody urine. Samples have been passed on to the Kenya Medical Research Institute for analysis. According to the Kenyan Standard Digital News, Bonny Khalwale, member of the Kenyan Parliament, is calling for a ministerial statement regarding Ebola as the public needs to be alerted.
