Relief as suspected Ebola cases in Yumbe test negative

An Ebola task force meeting in Yumbe District. PHOTO | ROBERT ELEMA

For about five days, anxiety hung over communities in Yumbe district after news spread that three people suspected of having Ebola Virus Disease had been isolated and samples taken for testing.

This made life uneasy for those in the schools, villages and trading centers.

As precautionary measures, some residents avoided crowded places, while others worried about the possibility of contracting the virus because it is one of the red-line districts due to its location at the border with South Sudan, which is a busy cross-border corridor.

But after days of uncertainty, relief finally came when health authorities announced at the weekend during a taskforce meeting that laboratory results had confirmed all three suspected cases were negative for Ebola.

The acting Yumbe District Health Officer, Dr George Angupale Okoboa, told the meeting that three people presenting Ebola-like symptoms were isolated, but one unfortunately died.

He said the patients were reportedly bleeding and coughing blood, prompting health officials to withhold the deceased’s body.

“One of the patients was investigated when he had already died. Due to the Ebola era, we had to investigate this case and kept the body in a holding space,” Dr Okoboa said.

“This person died on the eve of Wednesday, but the body was released to the relatives on Thursday. We delayed releasing the deceased’s body because without knowing the result of the samples collected would put the lives of the health workers and the community at risk,” he added.

Dr Okoboa said at the moment, Yumbe has no confirmed case of Ebola and urges the public to remain vigilant to keep the district safe.

The announcement ushered in a sigh of relief among residents, health workers, and local leaders who had been closely monitoring the situation.

"We were very worried when we heard about the suspected cases," said Ms Harriet Draleru, a resident of Yumbe Town Council.

"People were talking about Ebola everywhere. When the results came back negative, many of us felt relieved because we know it can kill very fast,” she said.

She said during the COVID-19 period, their children lost a lot in Education due to the lockdown and that they were worried about a possible lockdown which would again affect the schools.

Although the cases turned negative, the incident served as an important test of Yumbe's preparedness to respond to public health emergencies.

According to district health officials, the rapid response demonstrated the vigilance of health workers who remain on