On 7th March 2020, Uganda’s Minister of Health Dr. Jane Ruth Aceng addressed the general public on the country’s preparedness following the worldwide concern and wide spreading of the Conv-19 or Corona Virus.
She said there are so far no registered or confirmed cases of the deadly virus in Uganda and reassured the general public that the ministry of health is doing all that is possible to protect the public health and building its ability to handle the diagnosis and treatment in case of any infection.
Uganda has put strict measures at the International Airport in Entebbe and at all border entry points where all people coming in the country are screened and the suspects are hurriedly identified by the surveillance and reporting system and then isolated for further investigations
ABOUT THE CORONA VIRUS
this is a new virus which is said to have started in China Wuhan city, in particular, has led to many losses of lives worldwide. It is said to be spreading at a high rate and affects both animals and humans.
Covid-19 has spread to more than 104 countries worldwide. As of 10 March 2020, a total of 114,647 infection cases have been confirmed including 80,924 in mainland China,115 Hong Kong, and 10 Macao.4031 deaths have been reported including 3140 in China,237 in Iran,54 in South Korea,30 in France and Spain,27 in the US,15 in Japan,7 in Iraq,5 in the UK,4 in the Netherlands,3 in Australia,2 in Switzerland, I in San Marino, Germany and Canada Among other Countries across the Globe.
The Virus brings about a respiratory illness that easily spreads from person-to-person through sneezing and cough-droplets. Unfortunately, it has the same signs and symptoms as the usual cold but more dangerous and spreads faster. Running nose, fever, cough, shortness of breath and breathing difficulties. In more severe cases, an infection can cause pneumonia, severe acute respiratory syndrome, kidney failure, and even death if not reported and management commenced early by Health Workers.
Sadly, no specific treatment or vaccine for the novel 2019 coronavirus. However, people who are infected should immediately seek medical care to receive supportive treatment which includes; analgesics, for the fever, fluids and where necessary, oxygen and antibiotics.
People with other tortuous health conditions such as lung or heart diseases and weak immune systems are noted to be at a higher risk of infection.
PREVENTIVE MEASURES AS GIVEN BY THE UGANDA MINISTRY OF HEALTH IN LINE WITH WORLD HEALTH ORGANISATION RECOMMENDATIONS
If you follow the preventive measures listed below, there is a low risk of acquiring the deadly virus and prevention is always better than cure.
Ensure that your hands are washed frequently and thoroughly with soap and clean running water for at least 20 seconds. You can also use hand sanitizers with alcoholic content.
Avoid unnecessary touches in the eyes, nose, and mouth with unwashed hands because they can be highly contaminated.
Endeavor to remain at home in case you get one of the basic symptoms of the virus to this will help to save the rest who can easily contact the virus.
Face masks are highly encouraged especially for people with flu or cough to help cover the nose and mouth this will curb down the spread of the Virus.
Avoid close contact with people who are visibly sick with flu-like symptoms (fever, cough, sneezing and running nose). You are cautioned to avoid crowds.
Those with cough and flue are advised to cover their nose and mouth with a hanky or a tissue when sneezing or coughing and dump it after washing the hands properly with soap
Since the virus can also survive for some time on the surface, you are highly recommended to clean and disinfect objects and surfaces like; handles door handles.
Incubation Period of the Covid-19
Most people who catch the Virus start showing symptoms of the disease caused by the novel coronavirus roughly 5 days after infection Said Disease analyst at Johns Hopkins University on 9 March 2020.
Scientists have confirmed that an infect person will show signs and symptoms on or around day 5. any suspected person who is free from symptoms by day 12 is unlikely to get them, however, they may still be an infectious carrier.
Researchers have advised people who could be infectious whether they have symptoms or not to self isolate themselves for 14days to avoid spreading it to others
That means taking responsibility for yourself and make sure you are not in contact with other people and risk spreading the virus to people who are not yet infected.
Is possible to recover from Corona Virus
Corona Virus death rate is estimated to be at 2% or even much lower it is believed that the majority of the Coronavirus patients survive and some coronavirus survivors have not tested and have not had their cases reported.
Currently, there is no specific medicine to treat Corona Virus worldwide but the infected people can receive appropriate and supportive care to treat and relieve symptoms and eventually recover
“It can take several weeks to fully recover from the illness caused by a novel coronavirus, it takes anything up to 6 weeks to recover from the disease, but people with severe illness can take months to recover”. Said Dr. Mike Ryan, Executive Director of Health Emergencies Programme at the World Health Organization.
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