Ebola is not witchcraft - Health minister Aceng

HEALTH | EBOLA | ACENG

KAMPALA - Health minister Dr Jane Ruth Aceng has called upon people with suspected signs of the Ebola Virus Disease to visit health facilities for early diagnosis, treatment and care before it is too late.

“Our strength lies with the community. I would like to continue to appeal to the communities, that Ebola is not witchcraft. Those who have been moving from Mubende to the other districts have been scared that they have been bewitched. Their stories are around witchcraft,” she noted.

She noted that those who have been to the hospital have first-hand information and ‘they are our ambassadors'.

“They will tell you that even when you contract Ebola Sudan Disease, you improve if you are identified early and supportive treatment is started early,” she added.

“So communities, please do not resist. We have been having pockets of resistance from some members of the community, I am glad that they are now beginning to understand and respond to the health workers,” Aceng said.

This was during the high-level emergency ministerial meeting on cross-border collaboration for preparedness and response to Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) at Speke Resort Munyonyo on Wednesday, October 12, 2022.

The meeting was organised by the World Health Organisation (WHO), Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC), and the health ministry, following the outbreak of the Sudan Ebola Virus in Uganda.

On September 20, Uganda declared the EVD outbreak in Mubende district. 

The current outbreak is caused by the Sudan Ebola Virus species. Since the outbreak, there have been 54 cumulative cases with 19 deaths including four health workers. 

The Prime Minister, Robina Nabbanja (C), with World Health Organisations (WHO) officials, regional health ministers and health experts at the high-level emergency ministerial meeting on cross-border collaboration for preparedness and response to Ebola Virus Disease at Speke Resort Munyonyo. (All Photos by Jeff Andrew Lule)

Community strength

Aceng said though the country expects more Ebola vaccines, the focus must be on community mobilisation and engagement.

She emphasised that community engagement remains important for the outbreak because epidemics begin and end in communities.

“When communities are engaged and trained in epidemic preparedness and response, they can find and stop outbreaks which will ultimately save lives, restore services and help build resilience,” she said.

She further stressed that cross-border collaboration is important to come up with a collaborative framework to coordinate EVD and other public health preparedness and response among the risk member states.

The meeting was attended by Health Ministers and senior health experts from Burundi, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Kenya, Liberia, Rwanda, Sierra Leone, South Sudan, Tanzania and Uganda.

In his keynote address, WHO director general, Dr Tedros Adhanom Gebreyesus reemphasised the need to engage the people, stressing that community engagement and trust are critical, to any outbreak response.

Uganda Prime Minister Robinah Nabbanja said cross-border preparedness is timely and crucial because health security does not know borders.  

"Since the beginning of the Ebola outbreak in Uganda, we have been at the frontline of the response mobilising and strengthening all structures of the Government and the communities to rapidly contain the spread of the virus,” she said. 

At the meeting, member states also endorsed joint measures, including disease surveillance, contact tracing, monitoring and information sharing among others to strengthen cross-border collaboration.

Dr Matshidiso Moeti, the WHO regional director for Africa, said one of the crucial lessons Africa has learnt from previous outbreaks is that with unity, “we stay a step ahead of the virus”.

She stressed that through sharing information and resources, countries can move from firefighting to building an outbreak firewall and halting the spread of infections.