by Kampala (Reuters) – Uganda released eight people after recovering from Ebola, although at least 265 contacts under quarantine remain under quarantine, said his Minister of Health.
The East African country declared at the end of the last month after a man – a male nurse in the Mulago National Referral Hospital in Kampala.
Eight other people received treatment and “did everything well today and are relieved today,” said Health Minister Jane Ruth Aceng on Tuesday at a press conference.
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She said 265 contacts remained in the capital Kampala and in Jinja and Mbale – two cities in Eastuganda under “Strict quarantine and surveillance”.
“None of these contacts have shown symptoms so far, although from the time of their contact or exposure to the index case they remain under quarantine for 21 days,” said Aceng.
Uganda’s youngest Ebola outbreak was caused by the Sudan strain of the virus.
There is currently no vaccine for this trunk, although a test program is underway.
Existing vaccines are for the Zaire strain of Ebola, which triggered the recent outbreaks in the neighboring Democratic Republic of Congo.
The Ebola symptoms include fever, headache and muscle pain. The virus is transmitted by contact with infected body fluids and tissues.
(Reporting by Elias Biryabarema; Editor from George Obulutsa and Kate Mayberry)
