Follow These or Be Closed: Health Ministry Issues SOPs for Schools to Prevent Ebola

Uganda’s Ministry of Health (MoH) has issued Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for Schools. All education institutions must follow these SOPs to reduce the risk of closure of schools as was the case during the Covid19 times.

Issued by the Department of Health Promotion, Education and Communication, the SOPs for schools were developed to guide prevention and control measures against Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) in education institutions during the current outbreak.

“Schools are environments where learners, teachers, support staff, parents, and visitors interact closely, making them vulnerable to the spread of infectious diseases if preventive measures are not observed,” the Ministry of Health explained.

“These SOPs are intended to support safe learning environments while minimizing the risk of transmission of EVD.”

The guidelines, MoH further noted, apply to all categories of education institutions, nursery and early childhood development (ECD) centres, primary schools, secondary schools, boarding schools, day schools, universities and other institutions of higher learning, vocational and technical institutions,  and special needs schools.

“The SOPs provide practical measures for school administrators, teachers, learners, non-teaching staff, parents, and visitors to ensure early detection, prevention, and appropriate response to suspected EVD cases within school settings,” the Health Ministry further noted.

Ebola Virus Disease is a severe and often fatal illness transmitted through direct contact with blood, which is the most infectious fluid, or body fluids like f@ece$, vomit, saliva, sweat, breast milk, semen, urine or v@g!nal fluids of an infected or deceased person, contaminated surfaces or materials, and infected animals.

Common signs and symptoms include nausea and vomiting, severe headache, cough, rash, diarrhoea, unexplained bleeding, chest pain, fever and red eyes.

“Any learner, teacher, or staff presenting with these symptoms should immediately be isolated and reported to health authorities,” the ministry guided.

It has also guided all schools to ensure availability of handwashing facilities with clean running water and soap at school entrances, in classrooms, dormitories, dining areas, toilets and staff rooms.

Schools have also been told to enforce mandatory handwashing for all learners, staff, and visitors upon entry and at regular intervals; to establish temperature screening points at school entrances and to restrict entry for persons with symptoms suggestive of EVD.

They have also been urged to regularly clean and disinfect classrooms, dormitories, toilets and bathrooms, dining halls, school vehicles, and frequently touched surfaces.

The Ministry of Health has also told schools to ensure proper waste management and disposal, to discourage handshakes, hugging, sharing of personal items; and to keep classrooms and dormitories well ventilated by opening windows and doors where possible.

It also specified the roles and responsibilities of different stakeholders in enforcing SOPs for Ebola prevention.

The Head Teacher and the entire School Administration are expected to designate an isolation area for suspected cases, ensure availability of supplies like soap, water, hand sanitizers, thermometers, and disinfectants.

The school administration is also required to maintain updated contact information for nearby health facilities and district surveillance teams, ensure regular sensitization of learners and staff, and to report suspected cases immediately to health authorities.

Teachers and other staff are required to monitor learners for signs and symptoms of illness, reinforce hand hygiene and preventive practices, immediately report any suspected case to school administration, avoid direct contact with bodily fluids, encourage adherence to preventive measures, and report suspected cases immediately.

They are also expected to promote awareness and responsible behavior among students.

Learners are required to wash hands regularly with soap and water, report illness immediately to teachers or school nurses, avoid sharing personal items, avoid unnecessary physical contact, and cooperate with institutional and health authorities.

Parents and guardians are required to keep sick children at home, immediately seek medical attention for children with symptoms suggestive of EVD, inform the school if a child or household member has had contact with a suspected or confirmed EVD case, and to cooperate with health authorities during investigations and contact tracing.

If a learner, teacher, or staff member develops symptoms suggestive of EVD, schools have been advised to immediately isolate the individual in the designated isolation area, notify the nearest health facility, minimize contact with others, and to inform the nearest health facility or District Health Authorities Surveillance teams or Ministry of Health through hotlines.

Parents, guardians and staff attending to the suspected cases have been urged to avoid direct contact with bodily fluids, use appropriate Personal Protective Equipment (PPE like gloves) where available, and not to allow the suspected person to move within the school.

Schools have been advised to ensure that they avoid panic and maintain calm communication.

They have also been advised to clean and disinfect all areas and surfaces an infected person may have come into contact with.

For gatherings and activities, the schools have been advised to minimize non-essential gatherings and assemblies, suspend activities if advised by the Ministry of Health or relevant authorities, restrict visitors to essential persons only.

Boarding schools have been advised to conduct routine health monitoring of learners, enhance hygiene in dormitories and dining halls, avoid overcrowding in sleeping areas where possible, closely monitor learners returning from holidays or affected areas, and to keep records of visitors and movements in and out of the school.

Regarding school transport, operators are required to ensure regular cleaning and disinfection of vehicles, encourage hand hygiene before boarding, and to avoid transporting visibly sick learners or staff.

For hostels and student residences, they are required to conduct routine monitoring for illness, maintain high hygiene standards, avoid overcrowding where possible, and ensure regular cleaning and disinfection of shared facilities.

Regarding institutional gatherings and events, institutions are expected to minimize non-essential gatherings, conduct meetings and activities in well-ventilated spaces, restrict or postpone large events if advised by the Ministry of Health, and to ensure Infection Prevention and Control measures (IPC) measures during all institutional activities.

For cafeterias, restaurants, and canteens, operators are required to ensure food handlers observe strict hygiene, provide handwashing facilities at entrances, regularly disinfect dining areas and utensils, and to prevent overcrowding during meal times where possible.

For Institutional transport services, providers and operators are required to regularly clean and disinfect vehicles, promote hand hygiene before boarding, and to avoid transporting visibly ill persons.

If schools do not follow the SOPs and there is an Ebola outbreak of worrying proportions, government may be forced to close schools for some time to avert further spread and catastrophe.

Already, Government has cancelled Martyrs Day Celebrations that had been scheduled for June 03, and told pilgrims that had started walking journeys to return home, as reported HERE.