After 23 Ebola cases were confirmed among students of schools across Uganda, The cabinet decided that the schools will close two weeks prior to the end of term. Among the 23 cases were eight children who died from Ebola.
Preschools, primary schools and secondary schools will close on November 25 due to the crowded nature of classrooms that make students vulnerable to infection. The ebola outbreak was declared in the district Mubende on September 20. Mubende and neighboring district Kassandra have been placed under a 3-lockdown that includes a dusk-to-dawn curfew, the closure of gathering places such as bars, markets and churches, and a ban on personal travel. Since the start of the outbreak on September 20, 135 people have been infected with Ebola and 53 have died. The strain circulating Uganda is the Sudan strain of Ebola and does not have a proven vaccine. Ebola is difficult to contain and typically kills about half of the people it infects.
Read More: Uganda to close schools early after eight children die of Ebola