Measles confirmed in Kanungu district

Kanungu District officials have confirmed a measles outbreak in two villages of Nyabirehe and Rukarara in Kihembe Sub County, Kanungu District.

Patients suffering from measles disease present with fever, dry cough, runny nose, sore throat, inflamed eyes, tiny white spots with bluish-white centres on a red background found inside the mouth on the inner lining of the cheek and skin rash made of large, flat blotches that often flow into one another, among others. 

The Kanungu District Health Officer, Dr Birungi Mutahunga confirmed this on July 11 in an interview with Monitor, citing a positive case of a child who died in Kihembe sub county Kanungu district. As a result, the district has embarked on health education and contact tracing to stop the possible spread of the disease to other sub counties in the district.

“The cumulative death is one, cumulative measles cases are two, cumulative samples sent to Uganda Virus Research centre are 10, one case is admitted, three cases were discharged, and two contacts listed. We suspect that the outbreak is a result of children that were not fully immunized against measles. We are working with our partners from the World Health Organization in managing the situation as we plan for mass measles vaccination. The outbreak is real,” Dr Birungi said.

He added that some of the challenges in controlling the outbreak include people using herbs to treat the disease, stigma, self-medication and village health team members not sufficiently oriented on managing measles/Rubella, self-medication

The assistant district health officer Dr Kato Besisira on Tuesday said that two of the four samples they had sent to the Uganda virus research institute turned out positive and one of the two measles patients died on Wednesday last week.

“Even though both confirmed cases had immunization cards, we suspect they did not complete the two doses for measles which explains why their bodies turned out weak when attacked by measles virus,” Mr Besisira said.

Mr Besisira added that six samples from suspected cases were obtained and taken to the Uganda Virus Research Institute -UVRI and are waiting for results.

Kanungu District Health Educator, Mr Longino Mujurizi said that they were supplementing the patients with Vitamin A and cautioned residents in the district to avoid overcrowding, especially in areas where the virus has been reported.

Kabale district health educator Mr Alfred Besigensi and the Kisoro assistant District Health Officer in charge of maternal and child health, Ms Annet Dusabe encouraged parents to ensure that all their children are fully vaccinated against measles since an outbreak has been registered in the neighboring district of Kanungu.

The Kanungu Resident District Commissioner, Mr Ambrose Mwesigye Amanyire ruled out movement restrictions in the district because the transmission of measles disease is manageable.

“We have tasked the officials in the health department of Kanungu district to investigate the magnitude of the measles outbreak and come up with recommendations that will be shared with the district security committee for immediate enforcement,” Mr Amanyire said.

According to health experts, measles symptoms appear about 10 to 14 days after exposure to the virus.