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Nakasongola, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | The Uganda Prisons Services has suspended visitations at Nakasongola Prisons after registering a positive Mpox case. According to the Nakasongola District Situational Report dated October 7, 2024, at least 21 people have been confirmed with the Mpox virus in the district.
The cases include a prison inmate from Nakasongola Prison, nine fishermen, five commercial sex workers, two pupils, and three business persons, among others. Reports indicate that the affected inmate, who is on remand for murder charges, likely entered the facility carrying the virus.
Moses Ssentalo, the Assistant Public Relations Officer of Uganda Prison Services, explained that upon detecting the inmate with the virus, the Prisons Service has initiated comprehensive measures to contain and combat the spread of Mpox within the facility.
As part of these measures, the infected inmate and others he shared a ward with have been transferred to Bamunanika Prison, designated as an isolation center for Mpox treatment in the area. Ssentalo noted that all inmates at Bamunanika Prison, located in Luwero District, have been redistributed to other government prisons to create space for isolation and management of the patients and suspects.
To prevent the further spread of the virus, the Prison Services have implemented directives restricting visitations at Nakasongola Prison. “We ask the public to comply with these restrictions in good faith as we monitor the outbreak in the area. We are also closely monitoring Masindi Prisons, a large facility near Nakasongola, to ensure we can contain any potential outbreak with our health infrastructure,” Ssentalo said.
On Monday evening, several prison inmates were transported under tight security to the Bamunanika Prison isolation center, escorted by police vans. Ministry of Health officials and partners also visited the isolation center, pledging support to the Prisons Service in managing the situation.
Nakasongola Prisons occupies 800 acres of land in Nakasongola Town Council and houses approximately 1,500 inmates, significantly exceeding its recommended capacity of 274. As Nakasongola District emerges as the epicenter of the virus, the risk of further infections among inmates living in the overcrowded facility remains high if measures are not strictly enforced.
According to the World Health Organization, common symptoms of Mpox include a skin rash or mucosal lesions lasting 2–4 weeks, accompanied by fever, headache, muscle aches, back pain, low energy, and swollen lymph nodes. Mpox can be transmitted through close contact with an infected individual, contaminated materials, or infected animals.
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