By order of Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni, two districts of the Central African country are on lockdown and curfews to prevent the further spread of the contagious Ebola virus. The outbreak, which was announced on September 20, has now claimed the lives of 19 people.
Places of worship, markets, bars and entertainment venues in Mubende and Kassanda districts have been closed for 21 days and restrictions on traffic in and out of both districts are in effect. The health ministry said on Saturday that there have been 19 deaths and 58 confirmed cases of the deadly viral hemorrhagic fever since the outbreak last month. Authorities say the outbreak is concentrated in the two affected districts and has not reached Kampala, the capital of 1.5 million people, despite a man and a woman testing positive there.
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Trucks allowed
Trucks are still allowed to enter and leave both areas, but all other transport has now been suspended. The president had previously ordered traditional healers to stop treating the sick and ordered police to arrest anyone suspected of contracting the virus but who refuses to go into isolation.
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Vaccines in the making
World Health Organization WHO head Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said last week that clinical trials of two vaccines could begin in the coming weeks pending approval from the Ugandan government, without naming the vaccines. The Ebola variant that is now circulating in Uganda belongs to the so-called Sudanese strain, for which there is as yet no vaccine. According to the WHO, at least six vaccines are in development for the Sudanese strain, including three in phase one of clinical trials.
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