Enforcing SOPs for Ebola at Muhorro Health Center III
Muhorro Health Center III has added an extra gear to ensure that there is safety of patients, visitors and staff.
To access the facility, everyone must wash his/her hands and his/her body temperature is taken and recorded down for follow up in case there is any suspected EBOLA case.
This comes after Ministry of Health declared an outbreak of Ebola on September 20, a day after a 24-year-old man from a rural area in central Uganda died of the disease. Since then, the virus has spread to over seven districts in the country.
Anyone visiting Muhorro Health Center III is advised to carry a mask, wash his/her hands before entering the facility and also go through the temperature screening desk.
Sign and Symptoms of Ebola
Symptoms may appear anywhere from 2 to 21 days after contact with the virus, with an average of 8 to 10 days. The course of the illness typically progresses from “dry” symptoms initially (such as fever, aches and pains, and fatigue), and then progresses to “wet” symptoms (such as diarrhea and vomiting) as the person becomes sicker.
Primary signs and symptoms of Ebola often include some or several of the following:
- Fever
- Aches and pains, such as severe headache and muscle and joint pain
- Weakness and fatigue
- Sore throat
- Loss of appetite
- Gastrointestinal symptoms including abdominal pain, diarrhea, and vomiting
- Unexplained hemorrhaging, bleeding or bruising
Other symptoms may include red eyes, skin rash, and hiccups (late-stage).
Many common illnesses can have the same symptoms as EVD, including influenza (flu), malaria, or typhoid fever.
EVD is a rare but severe and often deadly disease. Recovery from EVD depends on good supportive clinical care and the patient’s immune response. Studies show that survivors of Ebola virus infection have antibodies (proteins made by the immune system that identify and neutralize invading viruses) that can be detected in the blood up to 10 years after recovery. Survivors are thought to have some protective immunity to the type of Ebola that sickened them.
