KCCA LAUNCHES CITYWIDE EBOLA SENSITIZATION, AWARENESS CAMPAIGNS

The Kampala Capital City Authority (KCCA) has launched citywide sensitization campaigns against Ebola disease in a bid to enhance efforts to prevent the virus in the country.

Ebola outbreak was first reported in Mubende district in September this year. The highly contagious virus has since spread to other districts; Kassanda, Kagadi, Bunyangabu, Kyegegwa, Wakiso, Masaka, Mityana – as well as Kampala, a city of 3.6 million people.

At least 131 confirmed Ebola cases and 48 deaths have been reported by November 2, according to Uganda’s ministry of health. 57 cumulative recoveries have been recorded.

As of November 2, Kampala had registered 19 Ebola cases and two deaths which include a mother and her child.

The launch of the sensitization campaigns was held on November 3, at Emerald Hotel, where the KCCA Executive Director Dorothy Kisaka engaged with Boda Boda riders as one of the key stakeholders in Ebola prevention.

“We can fight Ebola using the same ways we fought COVID 19. I trust you Boda Boda riders to take the message and practice the preventive measures,” Kisaka said.

In partnership with Baylor Uganda, the sensitizations will be spread to all the five divisions of the city.

KCCA has activated the Ebola response teams in the five divisions of Kampala to respond to any alert that is reported from communities, follow up on contacts reported from communities or as communicated by the Ministry of Health.

“We have a 24/7 emergency response call center at city hall where you can call and request an ambulance to evacuate an Ebola suspected patient,” Kisaka said.

In case of an Ebola suspected case KCCA has put in place a toll free number 0800299000.

She revealed that the Authority has standby ambulances for the city emergence response and recently added seven new ambulances on the fleet.

“Public Health is now a big priority. We need to keep safe and we are not going to loosen on educating about public health and road safety issues,” Kisaka said.

Kisaka cautioned the boda boda riders on road safety issue, to prevent the increasing road accidents that have claimed many lives of boda boda riders.

“Health is wealth, prevention of these accidents starts with you. We are going to work with partners to get reflector jackets that will have various public health messages,” Kisaka said.

She challenged the Boda Boda riders to support the works of KCCA that are aimed at transforming the city into a smart city.

“We are like a family and we have to live together in harmony. We have to make our city smart. The issue of streamlining the boda boda sector is very key,” She said.

The smart city campaign is focused on three core pillars; Technology, Infrastructure and People well-being (TIP).

The Central Division Mayor Salim Uhuru, warned city dwellers to be responsible and follow the health guidelines of preventing Ebola.

“Ebola is real and individual responsibility is key for saving us from Ebola. It is a national crisis which we all need to act together to end it,” Uhuru said.

The Deputy Director for Public Health and Environment Sarah Zalwango, said the sensitizations will be on early diagnosis of the virus and Infection prevention control measures.

Ebola is a serious and often deadly disease which presents with high fever and bleeding through body openings. It is very infectious, kills in a short time BUT can be prevented

“Ebola can only be passed on by direct contact with bodily fluids of an affected person or animal (such as urine, sweat or blood); therefore, raising community awareness about the disease can stop an Ebola outbreak,” Zalwango said.

Commenting on boda boda accidents in the city Zalwango said KCCA is working with Uganda Red Cross to sensitize the riders on road safety.

Siraje Mutyaba chairperson Boda Boda Kampala commended KCCA for coming up with sensitization meetings for boda boda riders.

“We require this kind of sensitizing to educating our colleagues. Ebola is just a minute or one passenger away from us. We have bad vices of sharing helmets, jackets and loading more than one passenger which is dangerous. Such vices expose us to the virus or us infecting another person,” Mutyaba said.

Isabirye Babalanda, another boda boda rider said apart from Ebola, accidents are a bigger challenge that needs to be handled as a national crisis.

“We have two diseases in the Boda Boda sector, Ebola and Accidents. Ebola has killed two people in Kampala but it’s a crisis, but every day four people are dying in boda boda accidents but it’s not a crisis,” Babalanda said.

He called on authorities to start arresting riders loading two people and those not respecting traffic rules.