KAMPALA: President Museveni has said there is a need for a law to regulate traditional healers so that they stop receiving and treating people during epidemics.
The President’s remarks, contained in his national address on Wednesday, 12 October 2022, come amid reports that many victims of Ebola in Mubende and surrounding districts first visited shrines, leading to further spread of the disease.
“There is no witchcraft here, Ebola is a disease. The communities in the affected areas should know that Ebola is deadly and spreads through contact with an infected person,” he said.
“I think we should put it in the law that when the government announces an epidemic, the traditional helpers should stop receiving patients in their clinics,” Mr Museveni said.
“Wait for what the government has to say. I declared this outbreak (Ebola) because of how serious it is,” he said.
The President urged the people to be cautious about the use of herbal medicine.
“My people in the rural areas who use herbal medicine, please be careful. I also used herbal medicine when I was young, my mother used to give it to me. It works for known illnesses like malaria, and stomach upsets but not diseases like Ebola,” he added.
“Have you ever heard me come out to talk about malaria? No, because that’s a unknown illness,” he added.
The President further urged to seek early treatment should they feel any symptom.
“20 people, who have so far recovered because they were handled early in the health facilities,” he said.
The Ugandan leader further reported that 19 people have so far died of the disease in the districts of Mubende, Kasanda, Kagadi, Bunyangabu and Kyegwegwa, which he described as high-risk areas in category one.
“Kampala and Wakiso are in category two, and the rest of the country is in category three (low risk),” he said.
