Ebola outbreak puts Uganda medics on high alert

An outbreak of Ebola is raising the alarm in Uganda .

The staff of St. Florence's Medical Clinic in the town of Mubende in southern Uganda is on high alert .

The clinic is believed to have treated the first confirmed patient of Ebola, a 24-year-old boy, who later caught the virus.

Lab technician Melon Kyomugisha said the boy presented Malaria-like symptoms when he came in.

"That man came in here and we were the first ones to treat him. I tested him and he had malaria, then the following day the man was not improving then we had to change the treatment, then after changing the treatment the following day the man had diarrhoea and was vomiting. We decided to send him to Mubende Regional Referral hospital then, it's where they found that he was having Ebola", sad the lab technician. 

The outbreak has raised the alarm among medical facilities.

Many are now cautious of patients who come in with high temperatures , fearing they might be carrying the deadly virus.

"The doctors told me that my baby has a very high temperature. They advised me that I should take him to the main hospital and that has really scared me. I am very scared because now Ebola is rampant and it kills very fast. That is what is really worrying me", said Aisha Nakazibwe, mother of a sick child.

The lab technician said that fear is spreading among the population.

"The community, they are very scared. Even if you say I am feeling an headache they could say when I go to the facility they will take me to Mubende, so that is why now we are having very few patients - they are fearing to come in", concluded Kyomugisha Melon. 

Since the outbreak of the virus, Uganda has registered more than 36 cases with 5 confirmed deaths, according to the Ministry of Health.