Uganda shortens school term to curb Ebola

Uganda  Minister of Education, Janet Kataha Museveni, said on Tuesday that government would shorten the school term by two weeks to reduce daily contact amongst students and help curb the spread of Ebola.

The minister said the cabinet had taken a decision to close pre-schools, primary schools, and secondary schools on November 25, because densely packed classrooms made students highly vulnerable to infection.

She said, “Closing schools earlier will reduce areas of concentration where children are in daily close contact with fellow children, teachers, and other staff who could potentially spread the virus.”

Students in Uganda are currently in their third and final term for the calendar year, at the end of which they sit promotional exams.

Among children, 23 cases have been confirmed, of which eight have died, said Museveni, who is also the president’s wife.

The virus circulating in Uganda is the Sudan strain of Ebola, for which there is no proven vaccine, unlike the more common Zaire strain that spread during recent outbreaks in neighbouring Democratic Republic of Congo.