eMagazine December 2022
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OUR PEOPLE,<br />
OUR MISSION<br />
Global Health<br />
<strong>eMagazine</strong><br />
<strong>December</strong> <strong>2022</strong><br />
Perspective<br />
Highlights<br />
Welcome<br />
Congratulations<br />
Article of the Month<br />
Video of the Month<br />
Ebola in Uganda<br />
Decolonization<br />
Innovation and Technology<br />
Among the Letters<br />
Nursing Division<br />
Art to Remind Us of Who<br />
We Can Be<br />
Reflections<br />
Our Beautiful Planet<br />
Upcoming Grand Rounds<br />
New Publication<br />
Global Health Family<br />
Calendar<br />
Photo Gallery<br />
Resources<br />
Written by Joshua Matsiko<br />
Medical Student at MakCHS<br />
Matsikojoshua091@gmail.com<br />
Kitongo Village<br />
On Friday, November 4th, <strong>2022</strong>, panic and<br />
sorrow gripped the residents of Kitongo<br />
Village in Kalwana sub-county, Kasanda<br />
district as the district health task force<br />
delivered the remains of the four people—<br />
three of whom were from the same family—<br />
who had succumbed to Ebola virus disease<br />
for burial. This particular family allegedly<br />
exhumed the remains of their relative who<br />
had succumbed to Ebola two weeks prior. The<br />
village chairperson Mr. Muzaffalu Ssenyonjo<br />
noted that they had lost seven village<br />
members so far, and that the aura in this village was so different from the other<br />
villages in the most affected districts where Ebola had robbed the communities<br />
of their loved ones. The Kasanda district task force noted that there were three<br />
graves where Ebola bodies were buried, dug by relatives of a particular family. All<br />
of these individuals later contracted the disease. There have been several other<br />
reports and allegations of family members exhuming the bodies of deceased<br />
Ebola patients in the night to perform rituals. This is among the many hindrances<br />
as discussed below that the health force has faced in the fight against this<br />
deadly viral hemorrhagic disease.<br />
The ministry of health declared an Ebola outbreak on September 20th, <strong>2022</strong>. As<br />
of November 17th, <strong>2022</strong>, there have been 141 confirmed cases of Ebola with 55<br />
confirmed deaths from the disease (case fatality rate of 39%) of which 19 were<br />
health workers of whom seven have died from the disease, including a medical<br />
student from Kampala International University who was a surgical resident at<br />
Mubende Regional Referral Hospital. He is believed to have contracted the<br />
disease from a patient on whom he performed on a Cesarean section who was<br />
later diagnosed with Ebola.<br />
There are currently seven Ugandan districts affected by this outbreak<br />
including Jinja, Kampala, Kasanda, Kyegegwa, Masaka, Mubende, and Wakiso.<br />
Bunyangabu and Kagadi which were previously on the list were removed as they<br />
had no more cases since September 21st and 24th, <strong>2022</strong> respectively, hence the<br />
two incubation periods of the virus have passed. To date, 4150 contacts have<br />
been identified across 15 districts of whom 3129 have completed their 21-day<br />
follow-up. The index case was a 24-year-old man, a resident of Ngabano village<br />
Madudu sub-county in Mubende district. The patient experienced high fever,<br />
diarrhea, and abdominal pain and had been vomiting blood since September<br />
11th. Samples were collected on September 18th and Sudan Virus was confirmed<br />
the next day. The patient later died five days after hospitalization.<br />
The level of awareness of Ebola among the public is good on average, with some<br />
studies showing that over 70% have heard about Ebola in the most affected<br />
13<br />
Ebola continued on next page >>
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