Via The Daily Monitor: Mubende ‘strange disease’ linked to malaria. Excerpt:
The Ministry of Health has linked the strange disease that broke out in Mubende District to malaria.
Epidemiologists from the ministry were recently sent to the district to investigate the cause of the disease reported mainly in Kiryandongo Parish in Kisanda Village.
In an interview yesterday, the permanent secretary, Dr Asuman Lukwago, said the team led by the head of the epidemiological unit, Dr Issa Makumbi, had investigated most of the cases and chances of the Ebola haemorrhagic fever, and the Marburg virus had been ruled out.
“We discovered that the people are suffering from a complicated form of malaria. This was confirmed from the three people that have been tested so far. The biggest challenge was that people thought that the disease was as a result of witchcraft. So they would seek the services of traditional healers and in the process they were delayed. By the time they went to hospital, their condition was already worse,” Dr Lukwago said.
“The malaria outbreak was as a result of the heavy rains that were experienced in Mubende. These led to floods thus causing mosquito breeding. But the situation is under control because our team is doing surveillance.”
The disease, that broke out at the beginning of the month, has so far killed five people and more than 30 others are admitted.
