Uganda is currently in Ebola threat after the clinical blood sample results  of a 12 year old girl who died on May 6 indicated that the girl could have died with Ebola of Sudan type.

The Ministry of Health announced the outbreak of the hemorrhagic fever (Ebola) on Saturday and gave the precautionary measures as avoiding physical contact with body fluids of infected persons and feasting on dead wild animals particularly monkeys.The ministry also asked people to use protective gears like gloves while handling infected persons and persons suspected to be infected.

The head of Ebola task force, Dr. Anthony Mbonye says that they have alerted the people at the border points to set safety measures and to report suspected persons to the nearest health centers.

Dr. Mbonye says that the ministry is closely monitoring 33 people suspected to have handled the girl from the time of sickness up to the time she died at Bombo Military Hospital including the health workers at the hospital.

The disease has been registered in central Uganda in Luwero district unlike the two serious previous outbreaks that were registered in northern (Gulu district) and western (Bundibugyo district) Uganda in 2000 and 2007 respectively.

Some of the symptoms of Ebola are acute fever, vomiting, bleeding through body openings, diarrhea, abdominal pain, headache, red eyes and rash and scientists have not yet discovered the right medicine for the disease.

By Issa Asuman