Heatlh ministry cautions public against use of RDT’s in testing Ebola

8 November 2022, 8:50 am

 

By MELANIE AANYU

The International Rescue Committee is calling for more funding to curb the spread of the virus as many locals have now resorted to the use of the Rapid Diagnostic Tests in the wake of the epidemic.

The Ministry of Health has cautioned the public against the use of Rapid Diagnostic Tests (RDT) in testing for the Ebola virus. The ministry says that the practice is illegal and puts health workers at risk of infection.

The Director General of Health Services Dr Henry Mwebesa, said they received an alert that several private health facilities are testing people using RDTs, yet these are not authorized for confirmation of the viral hemorrhagic fever. Mwebesa says that currently, all Ebola testing is done exclusively by the government through the Uganda Virus Research Institute and the Central Public Health Laboratory in Butabika at no cost. At the moment, the facilities are supplemented by a mobile laboratory which is stationed at Mubende Regional Referral Hospital, the epicentre of the latest Ebola outbreak