Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni on Saturday imposed a new 21-day extension of containment in two districts located at the epicenter of an Ebola outbreak that has killed 55 people, stressing that its spread has been curbed.
Since the outbreak was declared on Sept. 20, Ebola has spread and reached the capital Kampala, although health authorities announced a decline in the number of cases this week.
The two central districts at the center of the outbreak, Mubende and Kassanda, were locked down for 21 days on 15 October. The provision – night curfew, ban on personal travel and closure of markets, bars and churches – was renewed on 5 November.
Announcing a third 21-day lockdown, President Museveni described the situation as “still fragile”. “If we open now and a case appears, we will have destroyed all the gains made in this war,” he said in a national address read by his deputy, Jessica Alupo.
“I therefore appeal for calm and understanding. Our health workers will continue to do whatever is necessary to save lives and end the epidemic,” the president underlined.
According to WHO criteria, an epidemic ends when there are no new cases for 42 consecutive days, double the incubation period of Ebola.
Health Minister Jane Ruth Aceng told AFP this week that the number of new cases registered was declining and there were signs Uganda was “winning” the battle.
The WHO office in Uganda said on Thursday that as of November 22, no cases had been reported for nine days in Kampala, ten days in Mubende and twelve days in Kassanda.
The outbreak has claimed 55 lives from 141 cases, according to the Ugandan Ministry of Health.
