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Mpox outbreak: Kasese heightens surveillance
Bwera General Hospital in Mpondwe Lhubiriha Town Council, Kasese District. The two Mpox patients are admitted at the facility. Photo/Yoweri Kaguta
What you need to know:
- A district taskforce has been instituted to help curb the spread of the disease.
- Monkeypox (Mpox) is a viral illness caused by the monkeypox virus, a species of the genus Orthopoxvirus.
- A rapid response team has been deployed to Kasese District to coordinate with local authorities to manage the situation.
Surveillance has been heightened at both Bwera General Hospital and the Uganda-Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) border point in Mpondwe, Bwera, Kasese District following the outbreak of monkeypox (Mpox) disease.
On Friday, the Ministry of Health revealed that two people had been found to have contracted the disease. The two are currently at Bwera hospital.
Speaking to this publication on Saturday, Mr Clarence Bwambale, the administrator of Bwera hospital, said a third person, who accompanied the patients to the health facility has also been admitted.
“We have two monkeypox victims who came for normal treatment from DRC but because we were on alert, the team quickly isolated them before they got samples from them, which they sent to the Ministry of Health which confirmed that they are suffering from Mpox,” he said
Mr Bwambale added that the Ministry of Health has deployed a mobile laboratory at the hospital to manage the outbreak effectively.
He said the hospital has a team of health workers trained to prevent the spread of the outbreak to the community.
He added that the facility received a medical consignment from the National Medical Stores meant to boost the hospital’s efforts to fight the disease.
He, however, said the hospital still lacks adequate welfare provisions for the patients, who are not allowed to interact with the public.
Bwambale added that there is urgent need for allowances for the emergency team at the hospital, which is taking care of the patients.
A rapid response team has been deployed to Kasese District to coordinate with local authorities to manage the situation. By Saturday, the team was monitoring nine people who came in contact with the patients.
Dr Amon Bwambale, the Kasese District health officer, said a district task force has been instituted and is headed by the Resident District Commissioner, Lt Joe Walusimbi.
“On Friday we held an emergency meeting and resolved that a team led by the district health office would visit Bwera General Hospital in Mpondwe-Lhubiriha Town Council on Sunday to assess the hospital’s readiness to handle the outbreak,” he said.
He added that he would communicate and submit a preparedness plan to the Ministry of Health outlining the necessary resources to combat the outbreak affecting the Great Lakes Region.
Additionally, it was decided that the Resident District Commissioner would serve as the primary communicator to prevent misinformation.
About monkeypox
Monkeypox (Mpox) is a viral illness caused by the monkeypox virus, a species of the genus Orthopoxvirus.
Common symptoms of Mpox are a skin rash or mucosal lesions which can last two to four weeks accompanied by fever, headache, muscle aches, back pain, low energy, and swollen lymph nodes.
Mpox can be transmitted to humans through physical contact with someone who is infectious, with contaminated materials, or with infected animals.
Source: World Health Organisation website
