Early Christmas holidays for Ugandan students due to the Ebola outbreak

The Ministry of Health said that the number of Ebola cases in Uganda has fallen sharply. In some areas of the East African country, no new infections have been detected for more than two weeks. At the same time, preventive measures are still in progress. For example, all primary and secondary schools close for Christmas holidays today, while normally this happens two weeks later.

Uganda has had to deal with Ebola several times in the past 20 years in the country, but the number of infections has been relatively small. The Ministry of Health stated that the outbreak, which began in September, has so far infected 141 people and claimed 55 lives.

It is related to Sudan’s relatively rare type of Ebola. There are no medications available for this alternative.

Strict measures are still in effect, especially in the regions of Mubindi, where the outbreak began, and Cassandra, in the west of the country, although according to the ministry, no new cases were discovered in these areas two weeks ago.

There are also no new cases in the Kampala metropolitan area and in two other cities. Health Minister Jane Ruth Acing has spoken of a “downward trend in the number of cases”.

However, primary and secondary schools in the country will be closed from today, a decision that does not depend on the approval of all health experts, BBC reports. For example, many students go to boarding schools and travel to their families during their holidays. This may allow the virus to spread further.