The Ebola outbreak in East Africa has seen a steady rise, as new infections have been detected, pushing the record of infections far up in a month.
On Thursday, a World Health Organization official described the situation of the health workers as “difficult” in the country.
Dr. Matshidiso Moeti, the U.N. health agency’s regional director for Africa said:
“The Ministry of Health of Uganda has shown remarkable resilience and effectiveness and (is) constantly fine-tuning a response to what is a challenging situation.”
“A better understanding of the chains of transmission is helping those on the ground respond more effectively.”
Uganda announced its first Ebola outbreak this year on September 20, as the infection kept spreading in a local community.
Ebola has since infected 64 people and killed 24, according to the reports recorded from when the disease was officially declared an outbreak.
Fears that Ebola could spread far from the outbreak’s epicenter caused authorities to impose a lockdown, including nighttime curfews, on two of the five districts reporting Ebola cases.
Ebola is one of the deadliest diseases that have terrorized Africa, and it can kill its victim within several days, if not immediately taken care of.
In another briefing, Dr. Ahmed Ogwell, the acting head of the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said:
“The numbers that we are seeing do pose a risk for spread within the country and its neighbors. While the risk of cross-border contamination is there, ‘it’s a manageable risk.'”
Ogwell also reported that Ugandan officials have documented more than 1,800 Ebola contacts, 747 of whom have completed 21 days of monitoring for possible signs of the disease that manifests as viral hemorrhagic fever.
