Kampala: Educational institutions have been closed in the wake of the Ebola outbreak in the East African country of Uganda. The decision comes two weeks before schools close for the Christmas holidays. Earlier, eight children infected with Ebola died in the country. The Ministry of Health says that the number of new Ebola cases has been decreasing over the past few days. 55 people have died of Ebola in the country since September. A total of 141 cases have been confirmed. Authorities have imposed a lockdown in two provinces.
The first case of the outbreak was confirmed on September 20 in central Mubende district. The person with confirmed symptoms died soon after. More than 200 people died in the 2000 Ebola outbreak in Uganda. The last Ebola outbreak was detected in Uganda in 2019.