Uganda registers 41 Mpox cases

The number of Mpox cases has risen to 41 following the detection of 19 new cases in the last two weeks.

During the Interdisciplinary Consortium for Epidemic Research (iCER) Symposium on Mpox in Kampala on October 2, Mr Atek Kagirita, the deputy incident commander for Mpox, said cases have been detected in more than 10 districts, including several non-border districts. 

The Ministry of Health has not reported any deaths related to the virus.

According to the ministry, Nakasongola is the most affected district with nine cases, followed by Kampala (eight), Wakiso (eight), Mayuge (five), Kasese (four), Isingiro (two), Nakaseke (one), Mukono (one), Kagadi (one), Amuru (one) and Adjumani (one). The first cases were reported in Kasese District in July.

"Currently, we have 41 confirmed cases, some are still under isolation. We have not registered any deaths. We continue to mount response activities, including tracing the contacts. We are seeing less infections with the contacts, something we are still investigating," Mr Atek said.

"There is some form of clustering in fishing communities along lakes. Nakasongola is leading and this is majorly being driven by fishing grounds. The population is a little bit mobile, a lot of bars, and night activities," he added.

The deputy incident commander said they are working with partners to combat the outbreak.

"We have mounted a response. We have sent a team, working with partners and our response is not to the level that we would do for Ebola and Marburg. We are still understanding the disease. This is a very good platform to learn to improve our response," he said. 

By September 17, Uganda had 22 Mpox cases, which nearly doubled to 41 by October 2, indicating a growing outbreak. 

Although the number of cases in Uganda is higher than Kenya's nine, other countries like the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and Burundi have reported more than 100 infections.

Since the beginning of 2024, the DRC has reported over 4,901 Mpox cases and more than 629 related deaths, marking a significant increase in both infections and fatalities compared to previous years, according to the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention. Burundi has reported over 800 cases.

Prof Wilber Sabiiti, an associate research scientist at Makerere University Lung Institute, said the symposium will help the countries improve response strategies.

"The reason we are here is to rally all researchers to bring all ideas together so that we can develop solutions for challenges like Mpox and other epidemics like Marburg," Prof Sabiiti, who is also an associate professor of medicine from the University of St Andrews in the United Kingdom, said.