Uganda Marburg Virus Disease Update

The Ministry of Health in Uganda has informed the general public to be aware of the ongoing Marburg virus disease update in the East African region. As of 30th September 2024, the Ministry of Health had not registered any cases in Uganda. In the neighboring country; Rwanda, the death toll due to the Marburg virus disease has risen to 11 cases.

Since the Marburg virus outbreak in Rwanda, they have registered 37 cases. Out of these 21 are still under isolation while five patients have  recovered from the disease. This has come at the back drop of the Monkey pox outbreak that made headlines during the first weeks of August. 90% of the cases were related to the Democratic Republic of Congo. Uganda, Rwanda and Kenya also registered a few cases of the same.

Due to the misinformation that often comes out of the major headlines; many at times people wish to know the actual condition in the affected countries. The image that the new stories often create is of a closed country that is in total panic because of the outbreak. However none of these incidents has created such panic.

In the case of Uganda, business is moving on as usual, no local market, school, restaurant, hotel or anything essential that has been closed down. The ministry of Health has simply issued guidelines on how people can stay safe while continuing with their businesses and travels. Among the instructions include:

• Keeping your hands clean through washing with soap or sanitization.
• Report to the nearest hospital in case of acute fever or severe headache
• Watch out for general body weakness
• Take caution when you notice unexplained bleeding

Travel Precautions

Ugandan parks are known for being uncongested, however maintaining a safe distance is highly recommended. In case of handshakes, always remember to sanitize. You can also take a Monkey pox vaccine for extra safety purposes.

In the case of Rwanda, it is during such seasons that self drive safaris are highly recommended. You would wish to associate with as few people and possible. One of the ways of doing that is considering a self drive trip.