By Shivan Tuhirirwe,
NATIONAL
President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni has instructed all traditional healers, herbalists and religious leaders to disallow sick persons seeking for healing and miraculous prayers in shrines and places of worship, respectively.
He was addressing the nation on the current status of Ebola virus disease in the country at State House Lodge, Nakaseero on Wednesday evening.
In his address, president Museveni ardently condemned treatment of patients by traditional healers in the times of pandemics calling for a law to bar the healers from hosting infected patients likely to increase the rate of infection.
“I think we should put it in the law that when the government announces an epidemic, the traditional helpers should stop receiving patients in their clinics.” Museveni proposed
The directive follow an incident when one of the infected patients identified as Twagira Yesu alias Kagaro previously listed among the ebola patient contacts in Mubende escaped to see a witch doctor in Luweero and he later died in Kampala few days ago.
In addition, Museveni urged Boda Boda cyclists to be extra careful whenever transporting passengers and use Ambulances as the alternative to transporting asymptomatic ebola sick persons. Among other things that have been banned is shaking of hands between individuals.
The president also made a clarification on the speculations that there is ebola case reported in the country’s capital Kampala. According to the president, the ministry of health has not recorded any ebola case in Kampala and the one that was registered at Kiruddu hospitalhl had been on admission from Luweero.
Museveni appealed to the public to remain calm and adhere to guidelines by the health workers noting that his government is capable of fighting the ebola epidemic.
