Uganda announce three-week lockdown for two districts sake of Ebola outbreak

Ebola

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Dem don declacre three-week lockdown for two districts of Uganda as di kontri continue dey Ebola outbreak.

Bars, nightclubs, places of worship and entertainment venues go dey closed for Mubende and neighbouring Kassanda, and curfew go come into force.

Di move na U-turn for Uganda President Yoweri Museveni, wey previously say no need dey for such measures.

Dis latest outbreak do kill 19 pipo among 58 recorded cases.

However, di real number of deaths and cases fit dey higher.

Di outbreak  for start early September for Mubende, about 80km (50 miles) from di capital Kampala, and don remain di epicentre.

President Museveni bin previously rule out lockdowns, saying Ebola no be airborne virus so dem no require di same measures as Covid-19.

But on Saturday e stop all movement in and out of Mubende and Kassanda districts for 21 days.

Cargo trucks go still dey allowed to enter and leave di areas, e tok, but all oda transport go dey stopped.

“Dis be temporary measures to control di spread of Ebola,” e tok for one televised address.

“Make we all cooperate with authorities so we go fit bring dis outbreak to an end in di shortest possible time.”

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Di president bin already order police to arrest anyone wey dem suspect of having di virus and no wan isolate.

And e don forbid traditional healers from trying to handle cases.

For previous outbreaks, healers bin dey associated with hotspots for spread of di virus.

Di first death wey dem record for dis outbreak na 24-year-old man for Mubende. Six members of im family also die.

E later reach di capital Kampala, with one death recorded for October.

But health officials say di city remain virus-free, as di man wey die bin travel from Mubende.

Dis latest outbreak na of di Sudan strain of di virus, for which approved vaccine dey.

Di Zaire strain, wey kill 11,000 pipo for one outbreak across West Africa from 2013-2016, fit dey vaccinated against.

Ebola spread dey through direct contact with bodily fluids or contaminated material.

Symptoms include vomiting, diarrhoea and for some cases internal or external bleeding.

Di incubation period fit last from two days to three weeks, and di virus fit dey associated with oda illnesses, such as malaria and typhoid.