Panic spreads as Uganda reports 101 Ebola cases

[*jr]

Uganda is home to second largest Somali population in Africa after Kenya.

------------------------------------------

By Tim Cocks

KAMPALA, Dec 7 (Reuters) - Uganda has 101 suspected cases of Ebola fever and hundreds more people being closely monitored, officials said on Friday, as fear grew in Uganda and neighbouring countries that the deadly virus might spread.

Twenty two people have so far died of the fever and Minister of State for primary health-care Dr. Emmanuel Otaala told journalists 11 health workers have fallen sick.

"Cumulatively, we have 101 cases," he said.
Another 338 people are being monitored because they came into contact with those infected by the virulent haemorrhagic fever, which often causes victims to bleed to death through the ears, eyes and other orifices.

The outbreak, which started in August, has sparked panic amongst officials, health workers and the public, with the medical union calling on staff to refuse looking after patients unless they are issued proper protective gear.

The independent Daily Monitor said Congo had sealed its border with the district. Congolese officials denied this.
"We have just informed people in the region they need to be vigilant," Congolese Health Ministry official Dr Benoit Kabela told Reuters by telephone from Kinshasa. Kabela said medical staff had been deployed and given protective gear.

Meanwhile, southwestern neighbour Rwanda said it had set up mobile clinics and isolation wards at border posts with Uganda.

Kenya is also screening Ugandans at its western border.
The four-month delay between the start of the outbreak and confirmation last week that it was Ebola has raised suspicions the government covered it up so as not to scare delegates -- Britain's Queen Elizabeth and 53 heads of government -- who met in Kampala two weeks ago for a Commonwealth summit.

The government denies it hid information. "Confirmation of this epidemic took a long time because we had to go to (the U.S. Centres for Disease Control and Prevention in) Atlanta," Otaala said.

more: http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/L07634188.htm