Uganda: Meningitis outbreak

[Shiloh]

Source: http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?p...k&refer=africa

Meningitis Kills 8 People in Uganda, Daily Monitor Reports

By Fred Ojambo

Jan. 2 (Bloomberg) -- An outbreak of meningitis killed eight people in Uganda?s western district of Hoima in a week, the Daily Monitor reported, citing a local government official.

Another three people believed to be suffering from the disease, which causes headaches, high fever and stiff necks, are in a critical condition in the local hospital, the Kampala-based newspaper said, citing Joseph Ruyonga, the district health officer.

To contact the reporter on this story: Fred Ojambo in Kampala via the Johannesburg bureau at pmrichardson@bloomberg.net.
Last Updated: January 2, 2009 03:08 EST

[sharon sanders]

Re: Uganda: Meningitis outbreak

Uganda: Meningitis Kills Nine in Hoima District

Chris Kiwawulo
7 January 2009
<hr class="thin clear"> Kampala — SIX (9?) people have died and 27 others hospitalised following a meningitis outbreak in Hoima district, the health ministry has revealed.
The ministry's director general of health services, Dr. Sam Zaramba, said most of the patients were from Kigorobya sub-county.

In a statement on Monday, Zaramba said the ministry was working with the local district authorities and the World Health Organisation to control the epidemic.

"Preliminary drugs and logistics have been sent to the district and this has drastically reduced the number of deaths," said Zaramba.
The patients are admitted at Hoima Hospital.
Zaramba said the Meningococcal meningitis is caused by bacterial infection and is transmitted from person-to-person through droplets of respiratory or throat secretions.
Overcrowding, keeping close contact with patients, living in congested and poorly ventilated premises aid the spread of meningitis, the director said.
Meningitis is an inflammation of the meninges, the lining surrounding the brain and spinal cord.
Although a rare illness, meningitis can occur at any age in humans and is more likely to affect young children and adults.
Available information says that although some cases are mild, meningitis can be fatal if not dealt with quickly as the symptoms can often be mistaken for flu or a heavy cold.
Zaramba cited high fever, headaches, neck stiffness, sensitivity to light, mental confusion and vomiting as the most common symptoms experienced by persons suffering from the disease.
He requested the public to be vigilant and report suspected cases to the nearest health facility.
Meningitis last broke out in Hoima in February 2008 when six people died and many others were hospitalised.
The disease was confirmed in Kisukuma and Bwikya parishes, both in Kigorobya sub-county.
In the last months of 2007, four epidemics including meningitis killed 60 people and infected over 1,000 others in western and northern Uganda.

http://allafrica.com/stories/printable/200901080065.html

[Shiloh]

Re: Uganda: Meningitis outbreak

Source: http://www.newvision.co.ug/D/8/13/668614

Four die as meningitis spreads to Masindi district
Monday, 19th January, 2009

By Raymond Baguma

THE health ministry has reported an outbreak of meningitis in Masindi district, a week after the deadly disease was reported in Hoima and Arua districts.

The director of clinical services in the ministry, Dr. Kenya Mugisha told The New Vision yesterday that 15 cases of meningitis had been reported in Masindi, with four deaths.

He said the outbreak had affected Pakanyi sub-county.

?There are fears that it may be spreading to Kigumba,? said Mugisha.

He said rapid tests had been carried out on patients which confirmed meningitis.

The outbreak in Masindi follows reported outbreaks in Dadama and Oluko sub-counties in Arua and Kigorobya sub-county in Hoima.

Mugisha said the ministry was preparing to carry out a mass vaccination exercise in the affected districts.

The ministry identified the outbreak to be the meningococcal meningitis which is caused by bacteria transmitted from person-to-person through contact with throat secretions.

Meningitis is an inflammation of the meninges, which is the lining surrounding the brain and spinal cord.
The disease is also spread by being in close contact with a patient.

Living in congested and poorly ventilated premises with an infected person increases the risk of the spread of the disease.

The most common symptoms of bacterial meningitis are fever, headache, neck stiffness, sensitivity to light, mental confusion and vomiting.

Dr. John Turyagaruka, the Masindi district health officer, said the district lies in the meningitis belt that covers the areas of southern Sudan and northern Uganda and outbreaks are normally anticipated during this time of the year.

He also said the district was using stocks of drugs that were earlier dispatched to the district following a meningitis scare in November.

The district health department is carrying out public sensitisation on the outbreak.

[Shiloh]

Re: Uganda: Meningitis outbreak

Source: http://www.irinnews.org/Report.aspx?ReportId=82513

UGANDA: Scores dead as meningitis epidemic strikes

KAMPALA, 22 January 2009 (IRIN) - At least 35 people have died in a meningitis epidemic that has hit several districts in western and north-western Uganda over the past two weeks, a health ministry official said.

"Cumulatively we have recorded 47 cases of meningitis with 13 dead in Hoima District," Paul Kaggwa, a spokesman for the ministry, said. "Another 150 cases have been reported in Arua, with 18 dead, and 14 in Masindi, with four deaths."

In its Africa weekly emergency situation update issued on 19 January, the World Health Organization (WHO) said one sub-county in Hoima had crossed the meningitis epidemic threshold. There was also concern about Karamoja region where dry weather had set in.

Kaggwa said the latest reports indicated Arua had also crossed the threshold of five cases per 1,000 people. "The immediate intervention we are embarking on is to carry out vaccination in Arua and Hoima," he told IRIN on 22 January. "We are still determining whether the situation in Masindi justifies a vaccination [drive].

"We are engaged in active surveillance and case management [and] are sending teams to the areas to support community-awareness programmes," he added. "We have deployed film vans to help in the campaign."

The Uganda Red Cross (URC) in a 14 January statement said most patients in Arua were from Dadama and Oluko sub-counties while those in Hoima were from Kigorobya sub-county.

Meningitis is an inflammation of the meninges, the lining surrounding the brain and the spinal cord. It is caused by bacteria and transmitted through contact with respiratory or throat secretions.

According to the URC, the outbreak in Hoima occurred in an area with no history of vaccination for meningitis and few health units. The affected homes were also congested.

Medical experts said dust, which is common during the dry season, leads to an increase in respiratory infections and helps spread meningitis because the bacteria attach themselves to dust particles.

Uganda lies within the African meningitis belt, stretching from Senegal in the west to Ethiopia in the east, according to WHO. The region, home to about 350 million people, experiences meningitis cycles whenever the dry season sets in.

Up to 30,000 people suffer from the disease each year in Uganda. Last year, the government introduced a vaccine, which it said significantly reduced mortality rates from the deadly disease.

Experts, however, say preparedness for meningitis epidemics is difficult because vaccines cannot be administered until it is known which of the many different forms of the bacterium is spreading. As a result, 5-10 percent of patients die, typically within 24 to 48 hours, while some survivors suffer brain damage, hearing loss or learning disabilities.

vm/eo/mw

[Shiloh]

Re: Uganda: Meningitis outbreak

Source: http://www.newvision.co.ug/D/8/13/669715

Meningitis reported in West Nile
Thursday, 29th January, 2009

By Anthony Bugembe
and Susan Nimusiima

THE health ministry has confirmed the spread of the meningitis epidemic to the districts of Adjumani and Moyo.

?The epidemic that started in the districts of Hoima and Arua has also spread to Masindi, Adjumani and Moyo,? said the health minister, Dr. Stephen Mallinga.

The meningitis outbreak has so far affected 344 people, killing 42 in the districts of Arua, Hoima, Masindi, Adjumani and Moyo since December 2008.

?By January 28, Masindi had registered 25 cases and eight deaths, while Adjumani had 23 cases and two deaths. Moyo has so far registered 19 cases with no deaths,? Mallinga.

Hoima has registered 48 cases and 13 deaths while Arua has 209 cases and 19 deaths.

Addressing journalists at the Media Centre in Kampala yesterday, Mallinga expressed disappointment with Arua district leaders for concealing the meningitis outbreak and linking it to witchcraft.

?The deputy LC5 chairman said he had heard rumours about people dying of a mysterious disease by December 10 2008 but he kept quiet,? said Mallinga.
The minister said: ?The Arua district health officer only got to know about the meningitis on January 8. Even then, there was a delay in informing the ministry headquarters.?

?Doctors in Arua also delayed to attend to the cases thinking it was witchcraft.?

Meningitis is an inflammation of the meninges, the lining surrounding the brain and spinal cord.

The disease is caused by bacterial infection transmitted through contact with the droplets of respiratory or throat secretions from an infected person.