KAMPALA: A case of mpox has been found in Nakasongola jail in central Uganda, a prison spokesperson said on Tuesday, adding that the patient had been isolated and was receiving treatment.
The World Health Organization declared the outbreak, which was first detected in neighboring Democratic Republic of Congo at the start of the year, a public health emergency of international concern in August after a new variant was identified.
“Unfortunately the prisoner couldn’t be given bail since he’s being held for murder,” said Frank Baine, a spokesperson for the Uganda Prison Service. “We suspect he came in with it but that’s being investigated.”
The latest figures released last week showed Uganda’s mpox caseload had risen to 41, according to a health official quoted by the Daily Monitor, Uganda’s biggest independent newspaper.
Health Ministry spokesperson Emmanuel Ainebyoona said he would give an update on the outbreak later on Tuesday.
One mpox case found in Uganda prison, official says
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One mpox case found in Uganda prison, official says
- The World Health Organization declared the outbreak a public health emergency of international concern in August
- The latest figures released last week showed Uganda’s mpox caseload had risen to 41
Tanzania president remorseful over Internet shutdown on election day
- President Samia Suluhu Hassan on Thursday expressed “sympathy” to diplomats and foreign nationals living in the country
- Violence broke out on election day and went on for days as the Internet was shut down
DODOMA, Tanzania: Tanzania’s president has, for the first time since the disputed October election, commented on a six-day Internet shutdown as the country went through its worst postelection violence.
President Samia Suluhu Hassan on Thursday expressed “sympathy” to diplomats and foreign nationals living in the country, saying the government would strive to ensure there is never a repeat of the same.
Hassan won the October election with more than 97 percent of the vote after candidates from the two main opposition parties were barred from running and the country’s main opposition leader remained in prison facing treason charges.
Violence broke out on election day and went on for days as the Internet was shut down amid a heavy police crackdown that left hundreds of people dead, according to rights groups.
Hassan blamed the violence on foreigners and pardoned hundreds of young people who had been arrested, saying they were acting under peer pressure.
Speaking to ambassadors, high commissioners and representatives of international organizations on Thursday in the capital, Dodoma, she sought to reassure envoys of their safety, saying the government would remain vigilant to prevent a repeat of the disruption.
“To our partners in the diplomatic community and foreigners residing here in Tanzania, I express my sincere sympathy for the uncertainty, service restrictions and Internet shutdowns you experienced,” she said.
Hassan defended her administration, saying the measures were taken to preserve constitutional order and protect citizens.
“I assure you that we will remain vigilant to ensure your safety and prevent any recurrence of such experiences,” the president told diplomats on Thursday.
Tanzania has, since the October elections, established a commission of inquiry to look into the violence that left hundreds dead and property worth millions of shillings destroyed in a country that has enjoyed relative calm for decades.
Foreign observers said the election failed to meet democratic standards because key opposition figures were barred.
