Uganda works to contain Ebola outbreak

Thirty days since Uganda declared the outbreak of the deadly Ebola virus, 24 people have died in the central district of Mubende.

The government says it has put more than 80 people under mandatory quarantine in different isolation centres as they monitor them for 21 days.

It is believed that Ebola has an incubation period of 21 days from the day of contact.

The Ugandan president Yoweri Museveni in a broadcasted public address recently announced a 21-day movement restriction in the two districts of Mubende and Kassanda.

The lockdown, which has pitted police and the locals against each other, is meant to prevent the Ebola virus from spreading beyond the two districts.

Health Minister Dr. Jane Ruth Aceng says the restrictions are slowing down the transmission and allowing health officials to manage contact tracing.

Since the resurgence of the Sudan variant that was first reported in Uganda in the early 2000s, doctors have been struggling to find a vaccine - now Aceng says two vaccines, from the U.K. and the U.S., are ready for trial in the country.