KAMPALA, Aug. 6 (Xinhua) -- The World Health Organization (WHO) on Monday released a contingency plan for Uganda as the Ebola death toll in neighboring Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) reached 33.
The global health body in a statement said necessary preparations have been made to prevent the disease from spreading to Uganda and if it does, the necessary steps to be taken.
WHO said plans are being made for the field teams to be able to conduct immediate testing of suspected cases while samples are sent to Entebbe, central Uganda for confirmatory testing.
It said Ebola Virus Disease rapid diagnostic tests have been provided to the Uganda Virus Research Institute in Entebbe.
Case definitions and contact tracing guidelines have been shared with the frontier districts of Kabarole, Bundibugyo, Ntoroko and Kasese.
A cross border meeting was also held to devise means of reducing the risks of the disease spread.
"It was noted that the DRC side has set up screening facilities including hand washing, temperature checks, and assessment of exposure risk. The Uganda team is setting up similar facilities on the Uganda side of the border," the WHO statement said.
The cross border meeting also agreed to increase surveillance activities along the common border, especially during market days.
DRC on Wednesday last week confirmed an outbreak of Ebola in Beni, North Kivu, about 100 km from the Ugandan border post of Mpondwe in Kasese.
Uganda is on alert since it hosts thousands of Congolese refugees fleeing fighting back home.
The Ebola virus is highly contagious and causes a range of symptoms including fever, vomiting, diarrhea, generalized pain or malaise and in many cases internal and external bleeding.
Mortality rates of Ebola fever, according to WHO, are extremely high, with the human case fatality rate ranging from 50 percent to 89 percent, depending on viral sub-type.
