Emmanuel Businge, the Acting Health Educator for Kiryandongo, told Uganda Radio Network (URN) that five suspected patients have been isolated, and 42 contacts, including relatives of the deceased and those under isolation, have been traced and are being monitored.
Refugees at the Panyadoli refugee settlement area. Two South Sudanese female refugees have died of suspected cholera outbreak in the settlement area. Photo by Emmanuel Okello.
A suspected cholera outbreak has claimed the lives of two South Sudanese refugees in the Panyadoli refugee settlement in Kiryandongo district. The victims, both female adults aged 40 and 49, died on Thursday at Panyadoli Hill Health Center III and Panyadoli Health Center IV after being rushed there in critical condition.
They had exhibited cholera-like symptoms, including vomiting, fever, and severe watery diarrhea. Health officials report that seven suspected cholera cases have been identified, with two deaths already confirmed.
Emmanuel Businge, the Acting Health Educator for Kiryandongo, told Uganda Radio Network (URN) that five suspected patients have been isolated, and 42 contacts, including relatives of the deceased and those under isolation, have been traced and are being monitored.
Businge stated that stool samples from all suspected cases and rectal swabs from the deceased were sent to the Central Public Health Laboratory in Kampala for confirmation. The district is awaiting test results. A standby cholera task force has been activated, and on Friday, officials conducted a safe burial for the victims.
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Health authorities have launched an investigation into the outbreak to identify the source of contamination. They have urged the public to take preventive measures, such as frequent handwashing and avoiding contaminated water sources.
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Concerned residents have called for urgent action to prevent further spread. Kiryandongo district communications officer Emmanuel Murungi stated that, as a preventive measure, food vending in schools has been suspended, and managers of public places have been instructed to provide handwashing facilities.
Attempts to reach Emmanuel Turyagenda, the settlement commandant at Panyadoli refugee settlement, for comment were unsuccessful as he did not answer or return calls. Cholera is an acute diarrheal disease caused by the Vibrio cholerae bacterium.
It presents with sudden, profuse watery diarrhea, sometimes accompanied by vomiting, dehydration, and abdominal discomfort. If left untreated, the case fatality rate can be as high as 30-50%. However, with timely and adequate rehydration, the fatality rate can be reduced to below 1%.
The incubation period ranges from a few hours to five days. The disease is primarily spread through the consumption of food or water contaminated with fecal matter carrying the cholera bacterium. Inadequate access to clean water and poor sanitation are major contributors to cholera outbreaks.
