Obed
The ministry of health has strongly warned members of the public against being conned by Private facilities officials that claim to carry out Ebola rapid diagnostic tests (RDTs).
While addressing Journalists yesterday during a one-day media orientation for Journalists from Kigezi Subregion on reporting about the Ebola outbreak in Uganda the Ministry of Health Senior Public Relations Officer Emmanuel Ainebyoona said that RDTs are not authorized for confirmation of the viral hemorrhagic fever
The orientation was held at Bunyonyi Safaris Resort in Kabale district.
The orientation organized by the Ministry of health, Uganda in partnership with World health organization-Uganda, African Center for media excellence (ACME) and UNICEF Uganda was aimed at enabling correct dissemination of information and debunking myths and misconceptions surrounding the disease and response.
Ainebyoona says that the Polymerase Chain Reactions (PCRs) are the only authorized testing method and are being done in government laboratories free of charge at the Uganda Virus Research Institute (UVRI), and the Central Public Health Laboratories (CPHL) mobile labs.
On Monday this week Dr. Henry Mwebesa, the Director General of Health Services at the Ministry of Health said they received an alert that several private health facilities are testing people using RDTs, yet these are not authorized saying that the practice is illegal and puts health workers at risk of infection.