Are Tourists safe from Ebola in Uganda

Are Tourists safe from Ebola in Uganda

Tourism remains safe in Uganda but industry stakeholders and government officials are worried about the PR effects this news has on the global media and the travel and tourism industry. Everyone entering Uganda from DRC and South Sudan will be screened for Ebola.

There is no threat for tourists traveling currently in Uganda. If you have a safari booked or are planning one to Uganda, you shouldn’t consider cancelling or putting off those plans yet.  The widely publicized  Ebola cases this week have no direct chance to become a threat to any visitor according to the Uganda Tourism Board. The situation seems to be isolated according to all indications in this case under control.

The confirmed death is of  the 5-year-old child from DRC and his grandmother who’d  traveled with his family on 9th June 2019. The child and his family entered the country through Bwera Border post and sought medical care at Kagando hospital where health workers identified Ebola as a possible cause of illness.

Uganda Authorities have however repatriated the victims’ relatives  back to the Democratic Republic of Congo on Thursday, the Ugandan health minister said.
The cases marked the first time the virus has crossed an international border since the current outbreak began in Congo last August. The epidemic has already killed 1,390 people in eastern Congo.

Tourists and intending visitors to Uganda can be encouraged that apart from the previously confirmed cases,  there are no other confirmed cases of Ebola  as of June 13-2019. This is very good news for Ugandans and Tourists to the Pearl of Africa.

Certainly, Uganda is the best prepared country for such outbreaks. The country has repeatedly demonstrated high capabilities with its teams quickly responding and curbing such  instances like the hemorrhaging Fever, the Ebola outbreak Kabale in Southwest Uganda in 2012 which the Ministry managed to eradicate within 10 days.

Experts noted that Uganda, which has been on high alert for possible spread of Ebola and has already vaccinated many frontline healthworkers, is relatively well prepared and should be able to limit the virus’ spread.

“The current cases in Uganda will be quickly contained but the failure to stop the current Ebola epidemic in DRC is simply tragic,” said Ian Jones, a professor virology at Britain’s Reading University.

Also, Uganda is well-equipped to handle an Ebola crisis and this capability is out of resilience from past instances of Ebola in Uganda.

In the wake of the recent outbreak, the U.S embassy has issued a statement indicating that: “The United States has strong confidence in the Ugandan government’s ability to respond to the outbreak in coordination with partners”.

“The U.S. government has invested heavily in Uganda’s preparations to manage Ebola through both technical and financial assistance, and we will continue to provide assistance to prevent the spread of the disease”.

The U.S health agency, Centres for Disease Control and Prevention, (CDC) said on Wednesday that Uganda has recently undertaken a simulation exercises to ready teams on transporting and handling Ebola specimen.
“CDC’s aim in Uganda is to build capacity for full-fledged, real time deployment and response in case of an outbreak,”

The Red Cross said it was scaling up efforts to contain the spread of the virus since it was detected in Uganda.

“This is a worrying development, but we have been preparing for this day for months now,” Robert Kwesiga, Uganda Red Cross Secretary General, said in a statement Wednesday.

Can Ebola spread through Air?

You can only get Ebola by physically contacting a person who has the virus, and only while he or she has symptoms. People pass it to others through their body fluids. Blood, stool, and vomit are the most infectious, but semen, urine, sweat, tears, and breast milk also carry it.

There is no evidence that mosquitoes or other insects can transmit Ebola virus. People infected with Ebola aren’t contagious unless they have symptoms. If a person sick with Ebola coughs or sneezes, and saliva or mucus touches another person’s eyes, nose, mouth, or an open cut or wound, these fluids may spread Ebola.

How to avoid catching Ebola

  • Avoid contact with other people’s blood or body fluids, which includes sexual contact.
  • Do not handle items that may have come in contact with a person’s blood or body fluids (such as clothes, bedding, needles, and medical equipment).
  • Avoid contact with wild animals or with raw bushmeat.
  • Avoid funeral or burial rituals that require handling a dead body.

Update on Ebola in Uganda – You are Safe to travel!

As of today, 14th  June, 2019, we are pleased to update you that the Ministry of Health has confirmed  that current outbreak of Ebola in Uganda  has been contained.

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