Uganda breathes a sigh of relief after results of a patient put on isolation come out negative for Ebola.
“While this is good news, both health workers and the population should be on the alert,” said Dr Paul Onek, Gulu District health officer.
The World Health Organisation (WHO) and Uganda’s Ministry of Health yesterday ruled out Ebola after blood samples from the suspected patient tested negative at the Uganda Virus Research Institute (UVRI), reports the Daily Monitor.
“The results for the sample from Lacor Hospital are negative for the Viral Haemorrhagic Fevers: Ebola, Marburg, CCHF, RVF and Sosuga,” said Mr Innocent Komakech, WHO’s officer in charge of Disease Outbreak, Emergency and Preparedness.
WHO will maintain close links with Gulu District in northern Uganda to facilitate preparedness and readiness to respond in case of occurrences.
A woman was isolated in Uganda’s St Mary’s Hospital Lacor on Saturday after she developed symptoms similar to those of Ebola.
Our first diagnosis was sepsis, but we needed to be very sure because it had turned out severe. The patient was bleeding a lot and we had to isolate her and take her blood sample to UVRI for confirmation whether it was Haemorrhagic fever or not,” said Dr Emmanuel Ochola, an epidemiologist at the hospital.
The doctor further said that although the patient is doing better, she will continue her recuperation in isolation.
