Uganda’s President Museveni has ruled out imposing a lockdown to contain the highly contagious Ebola virus, saying the country had the capacity to contain the outbreak.
An Ebola outbreak was declared the central district of Mubende last week after the country reported its first fatality from the virus since 2019.
Museveni in a televised nation address last night said the cases now stand at 24 with five confirmed deaths.
Some 19 people classified as probable cases had also died, he added, explaining that they were buried before they could be tested for infection.
The president allayed the fears, noting that there is nothing to worry much about the Ebola outbreak.
Museveni said it is not necessary to have lockdowns as this time they are fighting differently.
The president explained that whereas this is the first time in 10 years that Ebola is breaking out in the country, there is nothing much to worry about.
According to Museveni, the government has capacity to deal with the virus, noting that a treatment unit for Ebola at Mubende Referral Hospital currently has a 51-bed capacity for confirmed cases and eight bed capacity for suspects whereas a 31-bed capacity treatment unit has been set up as Madudu Health Center III.
