Uganda has been commended on its fight and management of the deadly disease Ebola.
In a meeting held in Kampala, the Africa Centre for Disease Control (CDC) Director General, Dr. Dr Jean Kaseya and World Health Organisation Africa Regional Director Prof Janabi said the two agencies committed to using some of the recommendations presented by the Ebola response on how the disease has been successfully contained.
These remarks were made while meeting with Ugandan Vice President Jessica Alupo at her office in Kampala.
The meeting was attended by the Ministry of Health officials led by Ministers Hon. Chris Baryomunsi and Dr. Charles Ayume, Health Permanent Secretary, Dr. Diana Atwine and other senior officials from the agencies.
“We are in the country to appreciate and learn Uganda’s best practices in containing the Ebola outbreak,” Dr. Jean said.
This followed an earlier presentation by Mr. Atek Kagirita in how Uganda responded to the evolving Ebola situation in DRC.
Dr. Kaseya commended Uganda’s leadership in epidemic preparedness and response.
Prof. Janabi lauded Uganda’s response in controlling the outbreak and called for enhanced surveillance and continuous cross-border engagement.
Uganda a case study
While Uganda faced growing criticism for its open internal and external communication about the disease, the country remains a case study after successfully managing all other pandemics such as COVID-19, with its response Mechanisms keeping the number of fatalities at a record low.
Vice President Remarks
VP Alupo Jessica Alupo said the Bundibugyo Ebola outbreak reminds stakeholders once again that infectious diseases recognize no borders, adding that supporting the Democratic Republic of Congo to contain this outbreak at its source is not only an act of solidarity but a strategic-investment in the health security and economic stability of the entire region.
The Vice President was also pleased that Uganda’s emergency medical team, working alongside the DRC, Ministry of Health, WHO, Africa CDCand other partners, has contributed significantly during the first month of deployment by strengthening treatment capacity, improving laboratory diagnosis, enhancing surveillance and cross-border coordination. Other contributions included supporting infection prevention and control and building local capacity through mentorship and joint operations.
She further noted that Uganda would particularly appreciate continued support in several strategic areas: sustaining of the joint Uganda-DRC response until transmission is interrupted, accelerating expansion of treatment capacity and critical logistics, reinforcing cross-border surveillance, information sharing and referral systems among others.
