Ebola patient escapes from Mubende hospital

Mubende, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Health and security officials in Kapchorwa district are hunting for an Ebola patient who escaped from Mubende hospital.

Dr. Siraji Masai, the Kapchorwa District Health Officer says that the male patient aged 50, escaped from the hospital after his samples were collected on Tuesday, October 18.

He says that on Wednesday, the samples from the Uganda Virus Research Institute tested positive for Ebola.

According to Siraji, information from the Ministry of Health indicates that the suspect, a resident of Kapchorwa district was an attendant to a patient who succumbed to Ebola in Mubende hospital recently.

He says the district health office has tasked different stakeholders to join in the search for the patient.

“I received a mail from the Ministry of health, instructing the district to be on alert and search for the suspect,” Masai said.

Siraji says that all the Village Health Teams (VHTs), sub-county chairpersons, and the security forces have been put on alert.

Enos Lottem, the Resident District Commissioner Kapchorwa, says they have asked the neighboring districts in the Sebei sub-region to join hands in search of the suspect.

Hassan Tuti, the administrator of Kapchorwa hospital says the facility is on alert and ready to handle such emergencies.