Amuru District Health Department has arranged an emergency orientation programme for health workers in high-volume health facilities to strengthen preparedness against the Ebola virus outbreak in the country.
The exercise targets health workers in both government and private non-profit Health Centre IIIs and Health Centre IIs across the district.
Amuru District has five government Health Centre IIIs, including Olwal, Labongo Ogali, Otwee, Kaladima, Pabbo, Pogo and Pawel, alongside three private non-profit Health Centre IIIs.
Robert Onekalit, the District Surveillance Focal Person, says the orientation programme was prompted by the growing risk of Ebola infections among health workers nationwide.
At least seven Ebola cases have so far been confirmed in the country, three of them involving health workers.
The latest cases confirmed yesterday morning by the health Ministry were health workers attached to a private health facility in Kampala.
Onekalit says the orientation programme focuses on case definition, outbreak preparedness, alert management, infection prevention and control (IPC), and improving the readiness of health workers to handle suspected Ebola cases. He notes that the district is also reviewing its emergency response capacity, including referral systems, isolation facilities, and the availability of medical supplies.
Amuru District hosts the busy Elegu One Stop Border Post, a major transit route linking Uganda and South Sudan.
Health officials say Ebola surveillance and traveler screening at the border have since been intensified, although operations remain constrained by limited manpower.
By URN
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