Medical workers and patients at Lira regional referral hospital are in a state of fear after one person was on Tuesday night admitted at the health facility with ebola-like symptoms.
The patient, whose particulars the hospital administrator Dr. Henry Lewgale declined to reveal, is a resident of Rainbow trading centre, Aduku road in Lira town. He was rushed to the facility at around 11pm on Tuesday in critical condition after he fell sick while at home. According to Dr Lewgale, the patient had high fever and was constantly vomiting, some of the signs that Ebola presents with.
Since the disease outbreak was reported in the western district of Kibaale three weeks ago, this is the first case of suspected Ebola in Lira district.
The hemorrhagic disease has so far killed about 19 people.
Dr. Henry Lewgale confirmed to URN on Wednesday that they have admitted a patient and that his blood sample has been sent to the Uganda Virus Research Institute in Entebbe for further investigations.
He said they have formed an Ebola task force at the hospital and are working together with the district taskforce headed by the Chief Administrative Officer to enabling medical experts handle the disease in case of any outbreak.
Mental Unit ward has been identified as an isolation centre for the Ebola patients, according to the hospital director.
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Grace Atim, Lira district acting health educator and Ebola taskforce spokesperson, says they have so far received two suspected cases in the district.
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This comes just hours after two people were admitted at Kisiizi hospital in Rukungiri for close monitoring.
Ebola virus presents with high fever and massive internal and external bleeding and can kill as many as 90% of the victims. It is one of the viruses capable of causing hemorrhagic (bloody) fever.
Epidemics of Ebola virus have occurred mainly in African countries including the Democratic Republic of Congo, Gabon, Uganda, the Ivory Coast, and Sudan.
