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Nakapiripirit, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Measles outbreak has been confirmed in three districts of Nakapiripirit, Amudat, and Nabilatuk.
Measles is an airborne disease that affects mainly children aged between 6 months and 10 years old. It is spread through air and contact with an infected person.
Nabilatuk district has 111 accumulative cases registered between August 2024 and to date with most of them recovering while at least two succumbed to the disease. While Amudat confirmed 10 cases positive and Nakapiripirit 15 cases of infants with clinical symptoms.
The district health officials said that the prevalence of measles has increased and they are closely working together with the Ministry of Health to ensure that the situation is controlled.
Dr. Peter Lokwang, the Nabilatuk District Health Officer noted that the first case was confirmed in August and it increased in September, October, and November.
Lokwang said that they formed a district task force and instituted the protocol of managing the cases by isolating the sick and alerting the surveillance team to report cases daily.
Lokwang noted that between October and November, they lost at least two patients prompting them to undertake immunization exercise and the active search for positive cases.
Lokwang revealed that all the children between the ages of six and five years were vaccinated against measles.
Lokwang said that they currently have four cases that are recorded from the villages in the Namalu sub-county under the Nakapiripirit district.
Dr Patrick Sagaki, the Amudat District Health Officer said that all the ten patients whose samples were taken to Uganda virus research institute turned positive.
Sagaki said that the cases detected are from Amudat hospital and they are yet to find out from other health facilities. He added that the results were returned on Tuesday and all the samples submitted turned positive.
Dr John Anguzu, the Nakapiripirit District Health Officer said that they are yet to get a confirmation from Uganda Virus Research Institute about the samples submitted for testing.
Anguzu said that they recorded 15 cases of which 13 have already improved as the investigations continue.
Anguzu noted that they delayed getting information about the outbreak from the community. He noted that the positive cases were from the patients who were fully immunized.
Anguzu said that they have intensified the routine immunization campaign and those affected are managed from the health facilities. He added that they have also embarked on the sensitization of the community to report cases to the health facilities.
Since the beginning of 2024, sporadic outbreak incidents of measles have been confirmed in several districts across Uganda including Moroto. However, the one in Moroto has been the most severe with over 200 cases and six deaths as of 18 July 2024, according to the World Health Organization.
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