The Ugandan government has ordered the closure of all kindergartens, primary and secondary schools in the country from November 25 in a bid to counter the spread of Ebola virus disease.
In a statement, the Ministry of Education believes that “closing schools earlier will reduce the areas of concentration where children are in close contact with other children, teachers and other staff on a daily basis who could potentially spread the virus ».
For his part, President Yoweri Museveni, supporting the government’s initiative, invited the latter to « intensify public health awareness and subsequently try to better understand community, cultural and traditional issues ».
Since its appearance in the country on September 20, the disease has already killed 53 people, including 8 children out of 135 cases. The government clarified that 23 new infections have been identified among students.
This epidemic is dominated by the “Sudan” strain which is rare, without vaccine and particularly resistant. The WHO, which has developed six candidate vaccines against this strain, is calling for a “strengthened global response” and more investment from donors to strengthen the response.
By OMA Newsletter N° 936 of 14/11/2022
Article published under the direction of Dr. Najib Kettani
The OMA, NGO with an Intercontinental vocation
For the development of cultural exchanges
Valuing human potential
The promotion and consolidation of Africa’s development, and
Inter-African integration
