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19th, October 2022
By Timothy Eodu-Moroto
The Moroto district Ebola taskforce led by the Resident District Commissioner -RDC and the District Health Officer- DHO has scaled up creating community awareness over the outbreak of the disease.
According to the RDC Mr. George William Wopuwa, the taskforce is doing all it takes by engaging with the community using different foras to pass the information about Ebola and educating them on better practices.
“Our people here like sharing a lot especially when drinking and you know this is how Ebola easily spreads, we are talking to them on radio and other platforms,” Mr. Wopuwa said.
According to the RDC, they are closely working with the Ministry of health and world health organization to prepare in case of any emergency in the district.
During last week’s taskforce meeting, the DHO Dr. James Lemukol said they had already contacted the Ministry for emergency medical supply to be on standby.
Public Reaction.
As much as there is laxity among the populations in the district, some are skeptical that the district and Ministry should impose some Standard Operating Procedures – SOPs.
Simon Loru a boda boda man at the bus park stage says a lot of people travel in the district from Kampala and other areas yet nothing much seems to be done when they arrive in the district.
He said it’s very hard to know how to protect themselves from the disease since they can’t also afford to abandon work due to the hard times.
Emmanuel Opio, a tax driver remains optimistic that when passengers follow previous COVID-19 SOPs, the sector will remain functional with limited gaps to be fixed.
“At least people should continue wearing their masks like during covid time and also we shall be providing sanitizers so that our passengers travel safely,” Opio told KaramojaNews while at Moroto Bus Terminal.
Christine Iriama, a mobile money operator working along Lia street in Moroto says since Ebola spreads mainly through body contact, people should be very keen while associating with their peers mostly those who travelled recently until they are very sure that he/she is safe.
She was however cautious that no information is available on whether the disease can easily transfer from the sick person to another through money (notes or coins).
“I can’t really tell if Ebola can be got when I receive money from someone who is sick. It scares me sometimes but since I have my sanitizer always, it feels easy for me to continue doing my job,” Iriama said.
According to the RDC, the district has not yet received any suspecting case as of 18 October 2022 but they are on standby monitoring the situation.
He called upon the leaders and security teams in Kassanda and Mubende districts to enforce the presidential guidelines very well such that the disease can be contained within a small period of time but also not spill all over the country.
Currently, up to 60 cumulative cases have been confirmed, 24 confirmed deaths and 24 recoveries confirmed by the Ministry of Health.
Ebola virus disease (EVD) is a deadly disease with occasional outbreaks that occur mostly on the African continent. EVD most commonly affects people and nonhuman primates (such as monkeys, gorillas, and chimpanzees). It is caused by an infection with a group of viruses within the genus Ebolavirus.
COMMON SIGNS AND SYMPTOMS
The Ebola virus is a deadly virus that causes hemorrhagic fever in humans and other primates.
Symptoms may appear anywhere from 2 to 21 days after contact with the virus, with an average of 8 to 10 days. The course of the illness typically progresses from “dry” symptoms initially (such as fever, aches and pains, and fatigue), and then progresses to “wet” symptoms (such as diarrhea and vomiting) as the person becomes sicker.
Primary signs and symptoms of Ebola often include some or several of the following:
- Fever
- Aches and pains, such as severe headache and muscle and joint pain
- Weakness and fatigue
- Sore throat
- Loss of appetite
- Gastrointestinal symptoms including abdominal pain, diarrhea, and
vomiting - Unexplained hemorrhaging, bleeding or bruising
