Ebola outbreak in Uganda

Fourteen people have died following an outbreak of Ebola in Uganda, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). The deaths occurred in Kibaale district in the western part of the country, nine of them in a single household. WHO reports that since the beginning of July, there have been a total of 20 cases of Ebola haemorrhagic fever in Kibaale where the government is working to control the outbreak.

WHO spokesperson, Gregory Hartl says Ugandan authorities have embarked on a campaign to sensitize the public about changing some of their practices to prevent the spread of Ebola.

"One of these practices is traditional funeral and burial techniques for example,” he said. “The Ebola is spread by contact with an infected person's bodily fluid, any of the bodily fluids. Ebola is so infectious that even if you touch an infected person's skin you can be infected. So there needs to be precaution taken in that point of view."

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