Uganda has Tuesday been officially declared free of the Marburg Virus Epidermic.
The Ministry of Health informs the general public that there have been no marburg cases reported in the country. Thisimplies that the Marburg outbreak in the country has been completely been controlled,” said Sarah Achieng Opendi, the State Minister for Primary Health Care.
The announcement has been made by the State health minister Sarah Opendi during a news conference at the Uganda Media Center.
Opendi said that the Marburg outbreak in the country has been completely controlled.
The epidemic was declared on 4th October 2014 after a patient died of the disease at Mengo hospital in Kampala.
Opendi , however, noted that the suspects did not get into contact with the Marburg case but presented signs of the infectious hemorrhagic fever and are awaiting results from the Uganda Virus Research Institute (UVRI).
Currently, 149 persons in Uganda are under observation for possible signs of the Marburg virus.
They are, 80 in Kampala district, 11 from Mpigi District, and 58 from Kasese District.
A total of 997 people have since been followed, tested and discharged from the isolation centers.
The disease that claimed a life in September is caused by a virus and is spread through direct contact with wounds, body fluids like blood, saliva, vomitus, stool and urine from an infected person.
This comes after completion of 42 days of the post Marburg surveillance countdown period which is prerequiste of the World Health Organisation (WHO), ‘requiring any affected country to monitor the situation of any Viral Hemorrhagic fever for that period before finally decalring an end to the outbreak.”
Marburg is a highly infectious viral hemorrhagic fever that is spread through direct contact with body fluids like blood, saliva, vomitus, stool and urine of an infected person.
The Minister has urged health workers to always wear gloves and appropriate personal protective equipment when taking care of ill patients.
No comments:
Post a Comment