Prison authorities have banned visits to prisons throughout Uganda due to the outbreak of the deadly Ebola haemorrhagic fever.
Frank Baine, the spokesperson of Uganda Prisons Service, says since Ebola is a highly contagious disease they do not want to risk the lives of prisoners by allowing visitors. Baine says an outbreak of the disease in a prison endangers the lives of hundreds and thousands others, a situation they want to avoid.
Ebola, which has no known cure, is a highly contagious disease spread through physical contact. An outbreak has been reported in Kibaale District in western Uganda with suspected cases reported in Kampala, Mbarara and Ntungamo.
At least 12 new suspected Ebola cases were reported yesterday alone, bringing the cumulative number of cases to 33. 14 have died so far.
Uganda's prisons are heavily congested with tens of thousands of inmates. Prison authorities recently raised the alarm that the prison population has hit the 32,000 mark; 17,000 more than it should hold.
Baine says the suspension of visits will run for two weeks after which it will be reviewed whether to allow visits of continue with the suspension.
He says prisoners come from all over the country and it is hard to determine who is carrying the disease that is why they don’t want to take any chances. He says they are not allowing food, drinks, money or anything else from visitors.
On how prisoners on special dietary requirements who survive on food from outside the prisons, Baine says they have enough food to cater for all the prisoners.
A message from the Commissioner-General of Prisons Johnson Bashaija calls on the public to remain calm as the move is for the prisoners’ own good.
Several people who went to Luzira prison to visit the prisoners have been turned away in line with the ban.
Health authorities have advised the public to minimize physical contact and report suspected cases to the nearest health unit.
The World Health Organisation on Monday said there was no cause for alarm and advised against issuance of a travel ban within Uganda.
