Cholera kills one at Kyotera landing site, four hospitalised
Fishermen carrying fish in a bucket at Kasensero landing site on April 4, 2019. PHOTO/FILE/AMBROSE MUSASIZI
What you need to know:
- The landing site is known for having a large population without pit latrines, a factor feared to aid the spread of cholera.
Health authorities in Kyotera District are in panic after cholera hit the densely populated Kasensero landing site, leaving one person dead and four others hospitalised in critical condition.
Cholera is an acute intestinal infection caused by contaminated food and drinking water which can cause diarrhea, severe dehydration and death if treatment is not promptly given, according to the World Health Organization (WHO).
Joseph Girimani, the Kyotera District surveillance focal person, said everything is being done to contain the spread of the waterborne disease.
“I received information over the weekend from our facility at Kasensero that about five people suspected to be infected with cholera had been admitted yet one had died from a private clinic in the same area,” he said during an interview on Tuesday.
“We have already mobilized Village Health Team members to strengthen house-to-house campaigns, encouraging our people to get early medication,” he added.
Kyotera District chairperson Patrick Kintu Kisekuulo said the concentration of many people at the landing site with poor hygiene increases the risk of cholera.
“Our capacity is limited as a district and we are asking the central government to swiftly provide clean and safe water for residents to drink,” he urged.
According to scientists, if left untreated cholera can kill up to 50 percent of those infected, but treatment reduces the death risk to less than one percent.
Kasensero landing site has a population of about 15,000 people with majority engaged in fishing as their main economic activity.
The landing site is known for having a large population without pit latrines, a factor feared to aid the spread of cholera.
The area has been exposed to several pandemics like marburg which threatened residents' livelihoods.
Due to its geographical location on the Uganda-Tanzania common border, there are fears that the disease has spread to Tanzania since there are daily interactions among residents of the two neigbouring countries.
