The Independent Uganda: You get the Truth we Pay the Price
Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Arua and other West Nile districts are on a fresh Ebola alert after unidentified woman died of Ebola in Ariwara town, 34 kilometres from Arua town.
The development has put security teams and health officials under pressure to trace for 177 contact persons the victim is believed to have come in to contact with before her death.
The markets along Uganda-DRC border are currently under surveillance by security and health personnel from the two countries.
According to information from sources in DRC, the victim died on Tuesday at Ariwara after encountering with dozens of people many of whom are from Uganda. Ariwara town is often frequented by Congolese businessmen and women who travel to Arua town on daily basis through the porous border with minimal checks.
Nahori Oya Awa, the RDC Arua said their counterparts in DRC have confirmed the death of the woman and warns the people against shaking hands. Nahori has also directed the police to put checkpoints along the borders and ensure hand washing facilities are put in place.
The District Health Officer Arua Dr Paul Bisop Drileba says that residents should reduce socializing with Congolese who come to Arua town to avoid possibility of contracting the disease.
Manase Anziku the Health Inspector Arua district local government confirmed that the death of the Congolese woman. He says that preventive measures have been heightened at the Uganda- Congo border.
While some preventive measures have been put in place at Arua Airfield, Vurra, Lia and Odramacaku border points, the border stretching from L. Albert to Koboko and South Sudan remain porous with many people crossing through the Panya routes and posing a great threat of spreading Ebola.
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