The Fort Portal Tourism City and Kabarole District Joint Ebola Taskforce have announced the suspension of school visitations in all boarding schools for one month, starting from March 7, 2025, as a precautionary measure against the potential spread of the Ebola virus.
According to a statement issued on March 7 by Mr. Saleh Kamba, chairperson of the Joint Ebola Taskforce and Kabarole RDC, the directive is mandatory for both schools and parents. As of Friday afternoon, six individuals were suspected of having Ebola and were being treated at the isolation unit at Fort Portal Regional Referral Hospital.
In addition to halting school visitations, the taskforce has ordered that all public spaces—including religious centers, hotels, entertainment venues, markets, bus and taxi parks, and offices—enforce mandatory temperature checks and provide handwashing stations or sanitizers.
Other safety measures include avoiding contact with the bodies of suspected Ebola victims, refraining from handshakes and hugs, not consuming bushmeat, and steering clear of bodily fluids like urine, saliva, sweat, vomit, breast milk, and vaginal fluids from infected individuals.
Dr. Archbald Newton Bahizi, Acting Director of Fort Portal Regional Referral Hospital, reported that four of the six Ebola suspects were from Ntoroko District, one from Kabarole, and another from Kyegegwa District. He also revealed that two suspected Ebola victims, a mother and child, had been buried in Ntoroko District, but bodies will only be released for burial after tests are conducted. If Ebola is confirmed, a specialized medical team will handle the burial according to strict protocols.
Dr. Solomon Asiimwe, Acting Fort Portal City Health Officer, stressed that relatives must wait for confirmation before burying anyone who dies in the village. The village chairperson has been informed of this protocol, and families should notify the health team for testing to determine the cause of death.
Awareness campaigns are actively educating the public on Ebola symptoms and encouraging the reporting of suspected cases to authorities for swift intervention.
“We have trained our frontline health workers to stay calm when encountering suspected cases and follow screening protocols to isolate high-risk individuals for further care,” said Dr. Asiimwe. He also assured that all health facilities are stocked with personal protective equipment (PPE) for healthcare workers handling potential Ebola cases.
Dr. Asiimwe also mentioned that the Ministry of Health tests deceased individuals to determine the cause of death. A recent case involved a four-and-a-half-year-old child from Ntoroko, who was confirmed to have died of Ebola. Further tracing revealed that the child’s mother had died two weeks earlier and was buried in Ntoroko District.
