The Ministry of Health has confirmed that 22 people have died of cholera in refugee settlements in the districts of Hoima and Kyegegwa.
Ministry of Health officials say that the refugees came with the infection and have been spread through to the camps in Hoima.
Dr. Olaro Charles, The Director General of Health Services, Ministry of Health said: “According to results from the Central Public Health Laboratories, a total of five cases have been confirmed in the refugee settlements of Kyangwali in Hoima district and Kyaka II in Kyegegwa district Four cases have been confirmed in Hoima and one in Kyegegwa.”
According to the findings released yesterday February 22, 2018 of the 535 cases that were suspected, 360 people were discharged. Local health workers told health officials who investigated the outbreak say most of the deaths occurred along the way to the camps.
In Kyaka II, 23 suspected cases are being followed up. Cholera is a serious acute infectious disease characterized by watery diarrhea, vomiting and kills a person within a few hours.
Cholera is spread through eating and drinking foods contaminated with feaces of an infected person. Other factors responsible for its spread include; poor personal hygiene especially not washing hands after visiting the latrines, using contaminated water, poor sanitation as occurs in open defecation, eating food prepared under unhygienic conditions, and drinking contaminated water.
According to Ministry of Health, strategies have been developed to combat this Cholera outbreak such as establishment of Cholera treatment centres at the Kyangwali and Kyaka II refugee settlements;
Screening of all refugees at entry points for early detection of Cholera cases,
Close follow up of contacts to identify sick ones in the two affected refugee settlements, Promotion of sanitation, hygiene and use of safe water in the refugee settlements,
Intensified community awareness among refugee populations “Additional medical supplies from National Medical Stores have been dispatched to the affected refugee settlements with those strategies when put in practice, Cholera outbreak within the refugee populations will be brought to an end as soon as possible” said Dr. Olaro
