Over the weekend, Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni decided to put the Ebola-affected central districts of Mubende and Kassanda on lockdown with immediate effect.
Museveni said in a national address telecast live that the lockdown will last 21 days. According to the measures, movement in and out of the two districts is prohibited. The two districts have also been placed under a night curfew with only cargo vehicles allowed to exit.
Public gatherings have been prohibited including places of worship and entertainment centers. Schools will remain open but under strict supervision by district medical teams.
Mubende was the epicenter of the Ebola virus disease outbreak after the index case was announced on Sept. 20.
Currently, this African country has 58 confirmed cases of Ebola, with 19 deaths, and 20 people have recovered since the index case was reported.
On Monday, the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP), the World Health Organization (WHO), and the World Organization for Animal Health ( WCO) launched the “One Health” joint action plan to strengthen their collaboration in tackling threats affecting humans, animals, plants and the environment.
“Using a lens that brings together all relevant sectors is critical to tackling global health threats such as monkeypox, COVID-19 and Ebola,” WCO Director Monique Eloit said, pointing out that the need to improve disease prevention capacity.
