Uganda has placed a three-week quarantine on two Ebola-affected regions of the country.

Saturday, President Yoweri Museveni said that the government had implemented a curfew in the central Ugandan cities of Mubende and Kassanda.

He reported that 19 people had died since the east African nation disclosed the epidemic on September 20.

There have been at least 58 cases of the viral sickness, and the number of cases and deaths could be greater.

For 21 days, movement into and out of the two districts will be prohibited. Except for freight vehicles, all transport will be halted.

The buildings that will be compelled to close include places of worship and entertainment venues.

Mr. Museveni stated in a nationwide televised address that the two areas are the epicenter of the outbreak.

"These are temporary measures to contain the spread of the Ebola virus. "We should all cooperate with the authorities to end this outbreak as quickly as possible," he stated.

Mr. Museveni has previously rejected lockdowns, stating that because Ebola is not an airborne virus, it does not necessitate the same precautions as Covid-19.

He has already instructed the police to arrest people suspected of harboring the virus who refuse to separate themselves.

A 24-year-old guy from Mubende was the first victim of the most recent outbreak. His six relatives also perished.

In addition, one death was reported in Kampala in October. According to health experts, the town remains Ebola-free, and the deceased guy traveled there from Mubende.

This most recent outbreak is caused by the so-called Sudan strain of the virus, for which there is no licensed vaccination.

The Zaire strain, which killed 11,000 people during an outbreak in West Africa between 2013 and 2016, is vaccineable.

Ebola is transmitted through contact with human fluids or contaminated objects. In some cases, symptoms include vomiting, diarrhea, and internal or external bleeding.

The World Health Organization (WHO) has previously stated that the Sudan strain of Ebola is less transmissible and has exhibited a lower death rate in past outbreaks than the Ebola Zaire strain.

The head of the World Health Organization, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, stated earlier this week that a clinical study of two vaccines to battle the Sudan form of Ebola might begin within the next few weeks, pending regulatory and other permissions from the Ugandan government.

In a virtual presentation to a conference of African regional health experts in Kampala, he stated, "Our top priority at this time is to quickly control and contain this outbreak in order to protect neighboring districts and countries."