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« Uganda remains a safe country despite the Ebola epidemic, these are the words of Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni in a televised speech addressed to the population on Tuesday 15 November. This is his fourth speech in less than two months, to try to reassure Ugandans, but especially foreign tourists who no longer dare to set foot in this East African country.
Since the first cases of Ebola in the Mubende district in September, the epidemic spread in the country, in particular the capital Kampala, causing a total of 55 deaths throughout the territory. A situation aggravated by a certain relaxation of Ugandans with regard to health instructions.
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In this context, President Yoweri Museveni calls for vigilance.
« If you have been in contact or been in an area where there are Ebola cases and you are not sure if you are a contact case, do not leave, stay at home and call the agents of health if you feel ill. When you run away, you lose time, you get sicker and you die.
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I have been informed that tourists have canceled their visit to Uganda, and some have even postponed their hotel and lodge reservations due to the Ebola outbreak. In addition, international conferences have been postponed. All of this is regrettable and unnecessary, because as you have seen, Ebola will not reach you if you follow the health instructions. I want to reassure the international community and the entire population of Uganda that the government has put in place measures to control the epidemic. The Ebola outbreak is localized to just six of Uganda’s 146 districts. Uganda remains safe. And international guests are welcome. »
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There is not yet a licensed vaccine for this Sudanese strain of the virus, once morest which the vaccine used in the Democratic Republic of Congo is not effective.
