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Three suspected Ebola victims escape from Kanungu isolation centre
A member of the Ebola response team. Photo by World Health Organization
Three suspected Ebola victims have escaped from the isolation centre at Kihihi Health Centre IV in Kihihi town council in Kanungu District in western Uganda.
They are Saddi Muhima, 46, his son Issa Muhima, 19 and Milton Nsenga, all from the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).
The three were admitted in isolation when they presented with Ebola like symptoms shortly after arriving at Munyaga border crossing in Western ward in Butogota town council in Kanungu District from DRC on Wednesday morning.
The trio presented with high temperatures, one of the signs of the haemorrhagic fever forcing Ebola surveillance officials to rush them to Kihihi health Centre IV for monitoring.
However, the Kanungu Health Inspector, Kato Besisira, says the trio escaped as the health workers were preparing to draw blood samples from them and rush them to Uganda Virus Research Institute (UVRI) Entebbe for examination.
They are suspected to have crossed back to DRC using the porous borders. Besisira says the escape of the trio has triggered panic in the district.
The Health ministry announced an Ebola alert on Tuesday evening after a five year boy from the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) tested positive for Ebola shortly after crossing into Kasese District.
He died hours later followed by his grandmother later in the day at Ebola Treatment Unit at Bwera Hospital in Mpondwe-Lhubiriha town council.
