Ugandan Education Minister Janet Museveni on Tuesday announced the government has decided to shorten the school term by two weeks to reduce daily contact among students and help curb the spread of an Ebola outbreak that has affected 23 students, reported The Reuters.
The Ugandan authorities have been working hard to stop spread of the highly infectious and deadly hemorrhagic fever since the epidemic reached the capital Kampala, which is home to around two million people.
“The government has reviewed and approved a proposal from the Ministry of Health to reduce the third term by two weeks in order to decongest schools that may increase children’s vulnerability to EVD (Ebola Virus Disease) infections,” Education Minister Museveni, who is also the wife of Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni, said in a statement Tuesday.
The minister said all the schools including nursery, primary and secondary will shut down for the third term on November 25, 2022. She added that schools have been ordered to conduct examinations earlier than scheduled starting next week.
The Ugandan government announced the resurgence of the Ebola virus on September 20 – a first since 2019 in this East African country. The outbreak has claimed 53 lives, out of 135 cases of infection, according to official figures as of last week.
According to Museveni, 23 cases of infection have been identified in children, eight of whom have died, and 16 others have been quarantined to assess possible infection with the virus.
Eleven children attending five schools in the capital Kampala, Wakiso district, and Mubende are among the infected cases.
Museveni said closing the schools will reduce the concentration areas where children come in close contact with other children, teachers, and other staff who may spread the virus.
The schools had reopened earlier this year after being closed for two years because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
