Govt confirms one case of measles, rules out outbreak

The Health ministry has said one case of measles infection has been detected in Kampala Capital City, amid increased efforts to curb the contagious respiratory disease in the country.
Dr Daniel Kyabayinze, the director of Public Health at the ministry, without mentioning the exact number of samples tested, said the detection of one case doesn’t give sufficient evidence to declare an outbreak.
“One case has so far been confirmed. The outbreak thresholds are not yet reached,” Dr Kyabayinze told this publication yesterday.
The director said the outbreak is announced when three cases of the disease have been reported from a single location. This is contrary to the response to Ebola, a more contagious and deadlier disease where one case is enough for an outbreak to be declared.
The detection of measles infection in the capital city comes two days after the ministry told this publication that samples had been taken to Uganda Virus Research Institute for tests. This action followed alerts from school administrators in Kampala and Wakiso about a suspected outbreak of the disease.
The ministry also dispatched a team of experts to various schools in the Kampala Metropolitan Area to collect samples from affected learners.
Dr Jessica Nsungwa, the commissioner for maternal and child health at the Health ministry, in a separate interview, said parents should report any suspected cases of the disease for effective control.
“The most important thing is for parents or schools to report. We had already controlled measles so it is very important for us to confirm whether it is measles or it is those measles-like illnesses, which also cause rashes,” she said.
The commissioner added: “Once we know [that it is measles], then they [parents] can go into isolating their children [at home] so that they don’t spread, especially to children below six months who are not immunised.”
Dr Nsungwa explained that the vaccine against measles is not offered to children under six months.  
Mr Abel Wilson Walekhwa, a researcher from Mbarara University, in a July 2022 report, said: “In 2018, a total of 46 of the 146 districts reported outbreaks of the measles.”
Dr Nsungwa said they will immunise children in Kampala and Wakiso against measles at the end of this month.