Uganda Health Minister, Jane Ruth Aceng said eight people have been discharged after recovering from Ebola although at least 265 contacts remain under quarantine.
The East African country declared an outbreak of the highly infectious and often fatal haemorrhagic disease in January after one man, a male nurse at the Mulago National Referral Hospital in Kampala – died.
In a press conference, Aceng said “eight other people received treatment and have all done well and are due for discharge today.’’
She said 265 contacts remained under “strict quarantine and monitoring” in the capital Kampala, as well as in Jinja and Mbale, two cities in Eastern Uganda.
“None of these contacts have exhibited symptoms so far though they will remain under quarantine for 21 days from the time of their contact or exposure to the index case,’’ Aceng said.
Uganda’s latest Ebola outbreak was caused by the Sudan strain of the virus and there is currently no vaccine for that strain although a trial programme is underway.
Existing vaccines are for the Zaire strain of Ebola, which triggered recent outbreaks in neighbouring Democratic Republic of Congo. (Reuters/NAN)
