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Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Kampala Capital City Authority (KCCA) has banned the sale of cooked food and drinks prepared on the streets in Kabowa following an outbreak of cholera. State Minister for Kampala Benny Namugwanya announced the ban while addressing journalists at Uganda Media Center on Thursday.
The ban follows confirmation by the Ministry of Health that two out of the eight people who were admitted at Naguru hospital with cholera symptoms had tested positive to the disease. The patients were referred from Kabowa in Rubaga Division after they presented with Cholera like symptoms of diarrhea and vomiting.
The Ministry says an investigation into the cause of the current outbreak has revealed that the outbreak is due to contamination of the environment. According to Namugwanya, the ban will allow city authorities to asses the situation and sensitize the residents on the outbreak and how to overcome it.
Dr Joyce Moriku, the State Minister of Primary Health Care says that the sanitary conditions in Kabowa are worrying. She explained that the area where the outbreak occurred is over congested with over 100 residents who lack adequate sanitary facilities and as a result they dump faecal matter into drainage channels.
Dr Moriku says the Ministry of Health is investigating two incidents in which cholera patients were asked to pay for medical services at Naguru Hospital.
The Ministry of Health has put in place two standby ambulances to transport any suspected cholera cases to Naguru hospital.
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