With the number of Ebola cases increasing daily, schools in Mubende and Kyegegwa districts are registering a low turn up of learners due to fear of catching the deadly disease.
According to a local news blog, schools in Madudu and Kiruuma sub-counties in Mubende district have registered less than 5 percent of learners turn up since the Ebola outbreak, despite government assurance of safety and non-restrictions on movement in areas where positive cases were registered.
Teachers in the said areas attend empty classes because many parents claim the schools are unsafe for their children, thus keeping them home.
Olive Najjuma, The Fatboy Show presenter, held similar opinions as a parent, saying she would withdraw her children from school if she resided in the affected districts.
“If I were in the epicenter, I would pull my kids out of school until further notice because, unlike Covid 19, Ebola does not have an age limit. The first case of the person who died was a toddler about two years old. Upon that background, you can not comfortably send your child to school as the government announces new cases daily,” she posited.
Additionally, Fatboy commented that, unlike Covid 19, Ebola has no home remedies to prevent its severity.
Mrisho, a participant on the show, acknowledged the government’s response but thought it could do more to contain its spread suggesting a lockdown in the affected regions.
“We need to see the government reinforce the same kind of seriousness it had on Covid 19 with Ebola. If not put under control, we are likely to face another huge pandemic which will be a serious one.”
On the brighter side, Olive argued that the government is trying its best, and given former breakouts of the disease being managed, she believed that the government will also defeat this one.
The Fatboy show is hosted by James Onen aka Fatboy, Olive, and Sarah every weekday from 6 am to 10 am on RX Radio.