Rift valley fever outbreak confirmed in Ntungamo

Ntungamo, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | An outbreak of Rift Valley Fever has been confirmed in Ntungamo district.

The disease has already claimed three lives, in the areas of Rubaare, Nyarutuntu and Itojo, according to the District Surveillance Focal Person Moses Asiimwe. The majority of cases are registered among 13 to 45-year-olds and livestock handlers.

Asiimwe says that while six more cases have been laboratory-confirmed by the Uganda Virus Research Institute in Entebbe, patients are exhibiting common symptoms, such as fever, muscle pain, and bleeding.

Beatrice Chemisto, the Acting District Health Officer says they have initiated vector control, contact tracing, and public awareness campaigns, especially on handling dead animals as some of the measures to stop the spread of the disease.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), report released in early June, the disease is now prevalent in Ntungamo, Mbarara, and Sheema Districts, all in western Uganda.

Rift Valley Fever is a mosquito-borne virus that is endemic. It primarily infects animals like sheep, cattle, and goats and it can have an economic impact on a community due to the loss of livestock.

Humans get infected through contact with infected animal blood or organs. Butchering and slaughtering of animals is a primary cause of transmission to humans.

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