THE head of the World Health Organization visited Uganda on Monday and praised its efforts to limit the spread of an Ebola outbreak from neighbouring Democratic Republic of Congo.
The WHO has declared an international health emergency over the outbreak which has caused 515 confirmed infections in the DRC, including 91 deaths, since it was announced on 15 May in northeastern DRC.
Uganda has recorded 19 cases and two deaths. All but five have been Congolese nationals who crossed the border.
“The success rate in managing Ebola in Uganda has been good,” said WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus during a visit to the Mulago National Referral Hospital in the capital, Kampala.
“Because of the experience gained in managing public health emergencies, there is a case fatality rate of less than one per cent,” he said, adding that the WHO had supported the training of 148 health workers for the Ebola response. He singled out the decision by the government to cancel annual Martyrs Day celebrations on 3 June that normally attract huge crowds from across the region. — AFP
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