Current:Home > BackUganda has locked down two districts in a bid to stem the spread of Ebola-DB Wealth Institute B2 Expert Reviews
Uganda has locked down two districts in a bid to stem the spread of Ebola
View Date:2024-12-23 23:05:23
KAMPALA, Uganda — Ugandan authorities on Saturday imposed a travel lockdown on two Ebola-hit districts as part of efforts to stop the spread of the contagious disease.
The measures announced by President Yoweri Museveni mean residents of the central Ugandan districts of Mubende and Kassanda can't travel into or out of those areas by private or public means. Cargo vehicles and others transiting from Kampala, the capital, to southwestern Uganda are still allowed to operate, he said.
All entertainment places, including bars, as well as places of worship are ordered closed, and all burials in those districts must be supervised by health officials, he said. A nighttime curfew also has been imposed. The restrictions will last at least 21 days.
"These are temporary measures to control the spread of Ebola," Museveni said.
Ebola has infected 58 people in the East African country since Sept. 20, when authorities declared an outbreak. At least 19 people have died, including four health workers. Ugandan authorities were not quick in detecting the outbreak, which began infecting people in a farming community in August as the "strange illness" described by local authorities.
The new measures come amid concern that some patients in the Ebola hot spots could surreptitiously try to seek treatment elsewhere — as did one man who fled Mubende and died at a hospital in Kampala earlier this month, rattling health officials.
Ugandan authorities have documented more than 1,100 contacts of known Ebola patients, according to the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The Sudan strain of Ebola, for which there is no proven vaccine, is circulating in the country of 45 million people.
Ebola, which manifests as a viral hemorrhagic fever, can be difficult to detect at first because fever is also a symptom of malaria.
Ebola is spread through contact with bodily fluids of an infected person or contaminated materials. Symptoms include fever, vomiting, diarrhea, muscle pain and at times internal and external bleeding.
Ebola first appeared in 1976 in two simultaneous outbreaks in South Sudan and Congo, where it occurred in a village near the Ebola River after which the disease is named.
veryGood! (558)
Related
- California teen pleads guilty in Florida to making hundreds of ‘swatting’ calls across the US
- How to make an electronic signature: Sign documents from anywhere with your phone
- The Best Workout Sets for Gym Girlies, Hot Girl Walks and More in 2024
- Amalija Knavs, mother of former first lady Melania Trump, dies at 78
- 'Wanted' posters plastered around University of Rochester target Jewish faculty members
- ‘3 Body Problem’ to open SXSW, ‘The Fall Guy’ also to premiere at Austin festival
- Securities and Exchange Commission's X account compromised, sends fake post on Bitcoin ETF
- Tonight's Republican debate in Iowa will only include Nikki Haley and Ron DeSantis. Here's what to know.
- Martha Stewart playfully pushes Drew Barrymore away in touchy interview
- Powerful storms bring heavy snow, rain, tornadoes, flooding to much of U.S., leave several dead
Ranking
- 'Yellowstone' premiere: Record ratings, Rip's ride and Billy Klapper's tribute
- NASA delays Artemis II and III missions that would send humans to the moon by one year
- What's next for Michigan, Jim Harbaugh after winning the college football national title?
- Aaron Rodgers Will No Longer Appear on The Pat McAfee Show After Jimmy Kimmel Controversy
- Michael Jordan and driver Tyler Reddick come up short in bid for NASCAR championship
- Security of Georgia's Dominion voting machines put on trial
- 18-year-old accused of shooting man 15 times, hiding body in air mattress: Court docs
- Securities and Exchange Commission's X account compromised, sends fake post on Bitcoin ETF
Recommendation
-
Gisele Bündchen Makes First Major Appearance Since Pregnancy
-
Bernice King says mother Coretta Scott King 'wasn't a prop' after Jonathan Majors comments
-
See how every college football coach in US LBM Coaches Poll voted in final Top 25 rankings
-
Houston Texans owner is fighting son’s claims that she’s incapacitated and needs guardian
-
Eva Longoria Shares She and Her Family Have Moved Out of the United States
-
Kentucky Derby purse raised to $5 million for 150th race in May
-
German software giant SAP fined more than $220M to resolve US bribery allegations
-
Tribal flags celebrated at South Dakota Capitol, but one leader sees more still to do