Uganda Safe For Tourism, Trade Despite Ebola Outbreak: Health Ministry

Minister of Health Jane Ruth Aceng told reporters in the eastern Ugandan city of Mbale that the outbreak is confined to well-defined areas in Kampala, the Ugandan capital, and Mbale, where all measures have been deployed to control and prevent the spread to other parts of the country.

"Even when we have an outbreak, we don't restrict tourism, trade and travel. In any case, the outbreak is in well-defined areas. It's not widespread all over the country," said Aceng.

"Uganda is very safe. We encourage all tourists to come to Uganda. We encourage trade and we encourage travel. There is no threat of Ebola anywhere the tourists will go," the minister stated, Xinhua news agency reported.

Last week, Uganda declared an Ebola outbreak after a 32-year-old nurse succumbed to the disease. The Ministry of Health said two relatives of the index case have tested positive for the virus and 234 people who had contact with the deceased have been identified and isolated.

On Tuesday, the World Health Organisation (WHO) said that the ongoing Ebola vaccine trial in Uganda is an achievement in the fight against the disease.

In a statement posted on its website, the WHO said the trial, which began with contacts of the index Ebola case in the country, aims to assess the clinical efficacy of a candidate vaccine against the Sudan strain of the Ebola virus.

According to the UN agency, this is the first-ever vaccine trial for the Sudan strain of Ebola.

It noted that principal investigators from Uganda's Makerere University and the state-run Uganda Virus Research Institute (UVRI), with support from the WHO and other partners, worked to prepare the trial within four days at Mulago National Referral Hospital in Kampala, the capital of Uganda, following the outbreak's confirmation on January 30.

"This is a critical achievement toward better pandemic preparedness and saving lives when outbreaks occur," said WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, as quoted in the statement.

This is possible because of the dedication of Uganda's health workers, the involvement of local communities, the Ministry of Health of Uganda, Makerere University, and UVRI, as well as research efforts led by the WHO involving hundreds of scientists, he added.

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