Ugandan Ministry of Health officials on Monday placed a female passenger from Nigeria with the deadly Ebola-like symptoms at an isolation unit at the country’ s Entebbe International Airport, a spokesperson said.
Rukia Nakamatte, the ministry of health spokesperson told Xinhua by telephone that the samples had been taken from a female passenger who travelled from Nigeria to Uganda for testing at Uganda Virus Research Institute, Entebbe, 40 kilometres south of the capital Kampala.
“The passenger was stopped as she arrived at the airport. She was showing signs of fever like Ebola. We are waiting for the test results from the research institute for confirmation,” said Nakamatte.
“We have put all the necessary precautions to handle all the suspected cases and any confirmations,” she said.
This is the second passenger to be put in isolation unit and tested for Ebola in the East Africa country following the current outbreak sweeping in Guinea, Sierra Leone and Liberia.
The deadly Ebola virus has killed at least 1,145 people and infected hundreds since it’s outbreak in the three countries West African countries, according to the World Health Organisation. The disease has since spread to Nigeria.
Uganda’s neigbouring country, Kenya on Saturday banned travellers from the Ebola-hit West African countries of Guinea, Sierra Leone and Liberia.
Uganda’s Ministry of Health officials are meeting Monday afternoon to look at all the measures to prevent the spread of the disease with travellers from the West African countries.
Uganda has suffered Ebola outbreaks in the past, similar viral haemorrhagic fevers like Marbug, Crimean Congo and Yellow Fever.
Ebola is a highly infectious disease spread through body contact with an infected person. It presents with high fever, bleeding, diarrhoea and red eyes among other symptoms. Ugandan government has intensified screening of travellers coming into the country through Entebbe Airport and other border posts to make sure they are safe from Ebola.
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