Tanzania issues alert over Ebola after new outbreak reported in Uganda
Screening for Ebola has been introduced in all the East African nation's entry points, including airports and borders, said Sichalwe.
Tanzanian health authorities on Wednesday issued an alert over Ebola, a day after authorities in Uganda declared an outbreak of the deadly illness in the central part of the country.
“We have received information on the outbreak of Ebola in Uganda and the government has activated surveillance teams in high risk regions,” Aifello Sichalwe, the chief medical officer in the Ministry of Health, told Xinhua over the phone.
Sichalwe said the Ministry of Health has activated surveillance teams in high risk regions of Kagera, Mwanza, Arusha, Mara, Kigoma and Dar es Salaam.
He said the ministry has also beefed up the supply of medical facilities in the risk regions.
Screening for Ebola has been introduced in all the East African nation’s entry points, including airports and borders, said Sichalwe.
He said health authorities were also educating members of the public on the disease, including its symptoms of fever, headaches, fatigue, and nosebleeds.
On Tuesday, the Uganda Virus Research Institute confirmed a case of the Sudan ebolavirus after testing a sample taken from a 24-year-old male.
Ebola is a severe, often fatal illness affecting humans and other primates.
