The East African Community Secretariat on Thursday urged EAC Partner States to enhance emergency preparedness and response activities following an outbreak of Ebola Viral Disease (EVD) in Uganda.
Health authorities in Uganda have declared an outbreak of Ebola after a case of the Sudan ebolavirus was confirmed in Mubende District in the Central part of the country. As at 24th September, 2022, there were four confirmed deaths and a total of 34 EVD case patients, 16 of which are confirmed.
“I urge Partner States to enhance surveillance and laboratory testing especially at border areas; to implement appropriate infection prevention and control measures and increase risk communication and community awareness of the disease. Further, I ask Partner States to consider the deployment of the EAC mobile laboratories to the strategic outbreak hotspots and at the various border Point of Entries. This shall enhance screening of the suspected cases as these mobile laboratories have the capabilities to handle such level 3 and 4 pathogens,” says the EAC Counsel to the Community (CTC) and Acting Deputy Secretary General for Productive and Social Sectors, Dr Anthony Kafumbe.
Dr. Kafumbe said that the Secretariat would work with Partner States to coordinate emergency preparedness and response activities across the region.
There have been seven previous outbreaks of the Sudan ebolavirus, with four occurring in Uganda and three in Sudan. Uganda last reported an outbreak of Sudan ebolavirus in 2012. In 2019, the country experienced an outbreak of Zaire ebolavirus, crossing from the North-Eastern Region of the neighbouring Democratic Republic of the Congo. In addition to the trained technical experts, the deployment of the EAC
Mobile Laboratories to Kisoro also played an important role in the rapid response in Uganda.
The World Health Organization (WHO) has expressed optimism in Uganda’s ability to tackle the epidemic and is helping Ugandan health authorities with the investigation and deploying Staff to the affected area.
“Uganda is no stranger to effective Ebola control. Thanks to its expertise, action has been taken quickly to detect the virus and we can bank on this knowledge to halt the spread of infections,” said Dr Matshidiso Moeti, the WHO Regional Director for Africa.
CU/abj/APA