UNDP, WHO sign agreement to offer in-kind support to fight Ebola in Uganda
The Ebola outbreak in Uganda was first declared in September this year in Mubende district in central Uganda before it expanded to other districts including Kampala, Wakiso and Jinja.
United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Uganda and the World Health Organization have today signed an agreement offering the in-kind secondment of 20 technical experts through the United Nations Volunteers (UNV) programme to support the Ebola response in high-risk areas, minimize mortality and disruption of social and health systems in Uganda.
The technical experts include 8 Infection Prevention Officers, 2 Psychosocial Support Officers & 4 Case Management Officers. The UNDP said the deployment will improve standards of care for Ebola cases & curtail its transmission in healthcare settings & communities.
Meanwhile, the minister of health, Dr Jane Ruth Aceng, together with Yonas Tegegn Woldemariam, the World Health Organisation Uganda Country Representative, visited the principle investigator of the Sudan Ebola virus vaccine trial to assess the level of preparedness.
The visit was intended to review the country’s readiness to rapidly start clinical trial activities when the vaccines arrive in Uganda. And from the visit, Dr Aceng said Uganda is ready for the vaccine trial.
“The study team’s commitment to this trial is of great importance to the world as transparent and effective studies will inform the outcome of the trial,” Woldemariam said.
