Uganda: Cholera suspected

[Shiloh]

Source: http://www.newvision.co.ug/D/8/16/710255

Meningitis hits West Nile districts, kills seven
Tuesday, 16th February, 2010
By Dradenya Amazia

SEVEN people in West Nile have been killed by meningitis in the last two weeks, health officers have said.

Maracha-Terego district registered the highest number of deaths and admissions.

?We have registered three deaths and 49 admissions so far,? Ronald Ocaatre, the Maracha-Terego district health officer, told The New Vision on Monday morning.

?Meningitis is a contagious but manageable disease. However, when treatment is delayed it kills very fast,? he explained.

Ocaatre said the disease ?is becoming sporadic with cases reported in other sub-counties.?

He added that the hard hit sub-counties were Olufe, Oluvu, Kijomoro, Oleba, Odupi, Nyadri and Yivu in Maracha county.

Arua district reported three deaths and seven admissions. In Moyo district, one person died and two cases were reported.

Ocaatre said the Catholic Church-owned Maracha Hospital was gazetted to treat those affected in Arua and Maracha-Terego districts for free.

?We are using the available resources before the outbreak reaches an epidemic level. We shall soon get assistance from the Ministry of Health,? he reported.

Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF), a medical NGO, provided laboratory services and drugs in Arua Hospital where, Ocaatre said, tests are being carried out.

Meningitis is a contagious disease spread by contact with body fluids of an infected or dead person. It leads to the inflammation of a membrane that covers the brain and spinal cord.

Ocaatre said the common symptoms of the disease are high fever, severe headache, stiff neck and sensitivity to bright light

It can be prevented by maintaining personal hygiene, avoiding public gatherings and the immediate burial of the dead.

 

[Shiloh]

Re: Uganda: 2010 Meningitis outbreaks

Re: Uganda: 2010 Meningitis outbreaks

Source: http://www.monitor.co.ug/News/National/-/688334/867056/-/wim7kv/-/


Meningitis outbreak hits West Nile

By Agencies (email the author)
Posted Tuesday, February 23 2010 at 10:16

In Summary

70 other people have been infected by the disease in both Arua and Maracha Terego.

Maracha-Terego

A fresh outbreak of meningitis has claimed ten people in Maracha-Terego district, in West Nile Uganda

The outbreak of meningitis- a highly contagious airborne disease has been confirmed by the ministry of health.

Mr Ronald Octare, the acting Medical Officer in Maracha-Terego says the rate of the new infection is alarming.

He says that 70 other people have been infected by the disease in both Arua and Maracha Terego.

According to Mr Octre, the district requested for drugs from the National Medical Stores to treat the infected but is yet to receive any.

Octare says that if the disease continues spreading at the current rate, they will have no option but to ban all public gatherings.

Dr. Patrick Anguzu, the Medical Officer Arua also says that they have not received any drugs since the disease broke out early this month.

Last year, several schools in the West Nile region were closed after the disease claimed more than 20 people.

 

[Shiloh]

Re: Uganda: 2010 Meningitis outbreaks

Re: Uganda: 2010 Meningitis outbreaks

Source: http://news.xinhuanet.com/english2010/health/2010-04/27/c_13269673.htm

Meningitis outbreak kills 37 people in eastern Uganda
English.news.cn 2010-04-27 17:55:07

MBALE, eastern Uganda, April 27 (Xinhua) -- A meningitis outbreak in the eastern Ugandan district of Bugiri has killed at least 37 people since it broke out last month, a district health official said on Tuesday.

Isaac Malinga, the district health officer, told Xinhua by telephone that the deceased were from Hama, an Island on Lake Victoria which is occupied by both Ugandan and Kenyan fishermen.

He said all medical staff in the district which borders western Kenya have been put on alert and the Ministry of Health has been informed to send a medical team.

He said because of the poor health facilities in the district, many patients were forced to travel to the neighboring Kenyan province of Nyanza to seek medication.

"Due to poor medical facilities in Bugiri Referral Hospital many patients were forced to travel up to Nyanza province in Kenya where they eventually received their medication in Port Bell and Bondo hospitals. Unfortunately they did not live," he said.

Amusana Gejje, a resident on the Island, called for urgent help from government saying that since meningitis is a deadly disease there is fear that it will spread to the whole district and even to the Kenyan side since many patients travel there for medication.

 

[alert]

Bugiri, Uganda: 37 die from unknown disease - Meningitis suspected

Bugiri, Uganda: 37 die from unknown disease - Meningitis suspected

http://www.monitor.co.ug/News/National/-/688334/906820/-/wy06te/-/

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Posted Monday, April 26 2010 at 13:05

37 people have died of a strange disease on Hamma Island in Bugiri District since last month.

Mr Amuza Nagheje, the LC I chairman of Hamma Island says that victims complain of head ache and body weakness before passing on.

He identified some of the dead as Charles Ouma Odede, David Akunja, Onyingi, Aloo Ayiko, Vicent Sandemu, David Masaba, Ruth Nelima, Lillian Nywanso Brain Kyobika, and George Bagaga among others.

Mr Nagheje said some sick people have taken to Port Victoria Hospital and Obondo Hospital in Kenya.

He said most people die because of lack of medical attention since the island lacks medical workers.

He added: A nursing assistant who has been operating Hamma Health Center II fled after the strange disease hit.

Add a comment (1 comments so far)

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Submitted by CHRIS_KYAMBADDE
Posted April 26, 2010 06:34 PM


These poor guys are most likely dying from meningitis. As much as treatment is important, authorities must move in fast with means to prevent further spread. Short of that, we may see a fast spread of this disease to other areas.

 

[alert]

Re: Bugiri, Uganda: 37 die from unknown disease - Meningitis suspected

Re: Bugiri, Uganda: 37 die from unknown disease - Meningitis suspected

http://news.xinhuanet.com/english2010/health/2010-04/27/c_13269673.htm

Meningitis outbreak kills 37 people in eastern Uganda

English.news.cn 2010-04-27 17:55:07 FeedbackPrintRSS

MBALE, eastern Uganda, April 27 (Xinhua) -- A meningitis outbreak in the eastern Ugandan district of Bugiri has killed at least 37 people since it broke out last month, a district health official said on Tuesday.

Isaac Malinga, the district health officer, told Xinhua by telephone that the deceased were from Hama, an Island on Lake Victoria which is occupied by both Ugandan and Kenyan fishermen.

He said all medical staff in the district which borders western Kenya have been put on alert and the Ministry of Health has been informed to send a medical team.

He said because of the poor health facilities in the district, many patients were forced to travel to the neighboring Kenyan province of Nyanza to seek medication.

"Due to poor medical facilities in Bugiri Referral Hospital many patients were forced to travel up to Nyanza province in Kenya where they eventually received their medication in Port Bell and Bondo hospitals. Unfortunately they did not live," he said.

Amusana Gejje, a resident on the Island, called for urgent help from government saying that since meningitis is a deadly disease there is fear that it will spread to the whole district and even to the Kenyan side since many patients travel there for medication.

Meningitis is a bacterial disease that affects the brain membrane. It can cause severe brain damage and is fatal in 50 percent of cases if untreated.

It is transmitted from person to person through droplets of respiratory or throat secretions. The most common symptoms are a stiff neck, high fever, sensitivity to light, confusion, headaches and vomiting.

According to the World Health Organization, the meningitis belt of sub-Saharan Africa, stretching from Senegal in the west to Ethiopia in the east, has the highest rates of the disease.

In the 2009 epidemic season, 14 African countries implementing enhanced surveillance reported a total of 78,416 suspected cases, including 4,053 deaths, the largest number since the 1996 epidemic.

 

[Shiloh]

Re: Uganda: 2010 Meningitis outbreaks

Re: Uganda: 2010 Meningitis outbreaks

Source: http://www.monitor.co.ug/News/National/-/688334/907920/-/wy0vx1/-/Suspected meningitis kills 72 people

Suspected meningitis kills 72 people
By Fred Siminyu (email the author)

Posted Wednesday, April 28 2010 at 00:00

Bugiri

Health authorities in Bugiri District have dispatched a medical team to investigate a disease that has killed at least 72 people in the last month. Officials took the decision after the disease, suspected to be meningitis, killed half of its victims at Hanna Island on Lake Victoria and Buwongo Village, Buhemba Sub-county on the main land within the last week alone.

The District Health Officer, Isaac Malinga, said the team is expected to report its findings within two days in order to help them plan how to stem the outbreak. He, however, added that the district is ill-equipped to fight the disease on its own.
?The outbreak has caught us unprepared but there is hope that the government will intervene to save the lives of the people once the cause of deaths is established,? he said.

Physical obstacles
The Buhemba Sub-county Secretary for Health, Mr John Mbiro, said 32 people, most of whom are children, have so far died in his area. He blamed the deaths on the geographical location of the affected areas ? which are both difficult to reach due to distance from the mainland and bad roads.

The LC1 Chairman of Hamma Island, Mr Amuza Nagheje, said some of the sick have been transported to Lake Victoria and Bondo hospitals in western Kenya to receive treatment. He said all the medical personnel at the only health centre on the island had deserted the facility.

 

[alert]

Re: Bugiri, Uganda: 72 die from unknown disease - Meningitis suspected

Re: Bugiri, Uganda: 72 die from unknown disease - Meningitis suspected

Hat-tip Shiloh. I know she is posting some of the same articles in the general meningitis thread, but this is not yet confirmed, and I thought it deserved its own thread. There are many high CFR fevers endemic in Uganda, including Ebola, Marburg, and plague. The symptomatic description in the first post is vague enough that those agents have not been ruled out yet.

And there are a LOT of deaths here.

http://www.monitor.co.ug/News/National/-/688334/907920/-/wy0vx1/-/

Suspected meningitis kills 72 people

By Fred Siminyu (email the author)


Posted Wednesday, April 28 2010 at 00:00

Bugiri


Health authorities in Bugiri District have dispatched a medical team to investigate a disease that has killed at least 72 people in the last month. Officials took the decision after the disease, suspected to be meningitis, killed half of its victims at Hanna Island on Lake Victoria and Buwongo Village, Buhemba Sub-county on the main land within the last week alone.

The District Health Officer, Isaac Malinga, said the team is expected to report its findings within two days in order to help them plan how to stem the outbreak. He, however, added that the district is ill-equipped to fight the disease on its own.“The outbreak has caught us unprepared but there is hope that the government will intervene to save the lives of the people once the cause of deaths is established,” he said.

Physical obstacles
The Buhemba Sub-county Secretary for Health, Mr John Mbiro, said 32 people, most of whom are children, have so far died in his area. He blamed the deaths on the geographical location of the affected areas – which are both difficult to reach due to distance from the mainland and bad roads.

The LC1 Chairman of Hamma Island, Mr Amuza Nagheje, said some of the sick have been transported to Lake Victoria and Bondo hospitals in western Kenya to receive treatment. He said all the medical personnel at the only health centre on the island had deserted the facility.

 

[sharon sanders]

Re: Uganda: 72 die from unknown disease - Meningitis suspected

Re: Uganda: 72 die from unknown disease - Meningitis suspected

I have merged the 2 threads because I think it gives the complete picture of a chronic situation in Uganda this year.

I will send to ProMed in a few minutes.


Thanks everyone!

 

[alert]

Re: Uganda: 72 die from unknown disease - Meningitis suspected

Re: Uganda: 72 die from unknown disease - Meningitis suspected

ProMED credits FT again.

No article has said this illness has a 50% CFR; we do not know the total number of cases here. Xinhua in an earlier article said that untreated meningitis has a 50% CFR, and this article says that half of the fatalities have occurred in a specific location.

http://www.promedmail.org/pls/otn/f..._BACK_PAGE,F2400_P1001_PUB_MAIL_ID:1000,82461

Archive Number 20100428.1369
Published Date 28-APR-2010
Subject PRO/EDR> Undiagnosed fatalities - Uganda: (BG) meningitis susp. RFI

UNDIAGNOSED FATALITIES - UGANDA (BUGIRI), MENINGITIS SUSPECTED,
REQUEST FOR INFORMATION
**********************************************************************
A ProMED-mail post
<http://www.promedmail.org>
ProMED-mail is a program of the
International Society for Infectious Diseases
<http://www.isid.org>

Date: Wed 28 Apr 2010
Source: Daily Monitor (Uganda) [edited]
<http://www.monitor.co.ug/News/National/-/688334/907920/-/wy0vx1/-/>


Health authorities in Bugiri District have dispatched a medical team
to investigate a disease that has killed at least 72 people in the
last month. Officials took the decision after the disease, suspected
to be meningitis, killed half of its victims at [Hamma] Island on
Lake Victoria and Buwongo Village, Buhemba Sub-county on the mainland
within the last week alone.

The district health officer, Isaac Malinga, said the team is expected
to report its findings within 2 days in order to help them plan how
to stem the outbreak. He, however, added that the district is
ill-equipped to fight the disease on its own. "The outbreak has
caught us unprepared but there is hope that the government will
intervene to save the lives of the people once the cause of deaths is
established," he said.

The Buhemba Sub-county Secretary for Health, Mr John Mbiro, said 32
people, most of whom are children, have so far died in his area. He
blamed the deaths on the geographical location of the affected areas,
which are both difficult to reach due to distance from the mainland
and bad roads.

The LC1 [Local Council 1] Chairman of Hamma Island, Mr Amuza Nagheje,
said some of the sick have been transported to Lake Victoria and
Bondo hospitals in western Kenya to receive treatment. He said all
the medical personnel at the only health centre on the island had
deserted the facility.

[Byline: Fred Siminyu]

--
Communicated by:
Sharon Sanders
FluTrackers
<sharonsanders@flutrackers.com>

[The lack of more specifics concerning this outbreak of suspected
meningitis with a 50 percent case fatality rate, where the deaths
have involved mainly children, in a remote region, makes a specific
diagnosis difficult. ProMED-mail awaits further information with interest.

 

[alert]

Re: Uganda: 72 die from unknown disease - Meningitis suspected

Re: Uganda: 72 die from unknown disease - Meningitis suspected

http://www.monitor.co.ug/News/National/-/688334/908644/-/wy1ixp/-/

Suspected meningitis kills six more in Bugiri District
By Fred Siminyu (email the author)


Posted Thursday, April 29 2010 at 00:00

Six more people have died of suspected meningitis in Bugiri District, sources told Daily Monitor yesterday. This brings the total number of people who have died from the disease in the district to 79.

Despite this development, district leaders are still reluctant to accept that there is an outbreak of meningitis in the area. “Apart from reading in the papers and hearing about it on radios, I have no official communication from the medical office in my district,” the district chairman, Mr Sirajji Lyavala, told this news paper yesterday.

The Beach Management Unit secretary at Hama Island, Mr Muhamad Kagenda, said four people had died in the area, bringing the number to 44.
But the district health officer, Mr Steven Kirya, said the team dispatched to investigate the cause of the deaths had informed him on phone that only 12 deaths had been registered at Hama Island.

A local council chairman on the mainland, Amuza Nagheje, said three people died on Tuesday night bringing the number to 35.
Meningitis is inflammation of the protective membranes covering the brain and spinal cord, known collectively as the meninges. The inflammation may be caused by infection with viruses, bacteria, or other microorganisms.

 

[alert]

Re: Uganda: 72 die from unknown disease - Meningitis suspected

Re: Uganda: 72 die from unknown disease - Meningitis suspected

It is very odd that we are not getting a symptomatic description, nor total case counts. IMO, this could very well be a VHF outbreak.

Case counts are expectedly foggy, as the area is remote, people might exaggerate to get medical attention, and other causes might be getting excluded.

http://www.weinformers.net/2010/04/28/ugandans-dessert-hanna-island-on-lake-victoria/

Ugandans dessert Hanna Island on Lake Victoria


By Walakira Nyanzi, Ultimate Media

Hundreds of Ugandans have deserted Hanna Island on Lake Victoria due to an outbreak of meningitis.

Some of the people who have fled the Island include medical personnel at the only health centre on Hanna Island.

Over 75 people have died on Hanna Island since Meningitis hit the area last week. Hanna Island is in Buhemba Sub County Bugiri District.

The Sub-county Secretary for Health in Buhemba, John Mbiro says most of the people who have lost their lives since the outbreak are children and women.

 

[alert]

Re: Uganda: 72 die from unknown disease - Meningitis suspected

Re: Uganda: 72 die from unknown disease - Meningitis suspected

And we get a better description. Headache, fever, weakness. But the statement about symptoms like a cold is a little odd.

I hope they don't mean cough - cough is not a meningitis symptom. But this now looks nothing like VHF.

http://www.monitor.co.ug/OpEd/Editorial/-/689360/908550/-/r03doqz/-/index.html

HomeOpEdEditorial Editorial

Act swiftly on meningitis outbreak

Posted Thursday, April 29 2010 at 00:00

At least 76 people, many of them children, had by this morning been confirmed killed by what locals in Bugiri say is a strange disease. Health officials in the area say the outbreak shows signs of meningitis. The outbreak, mainly on the island of Hanna and in Buwongo village of Buhemba Sub County on the mainland, has been ravaging the area for at least a month, according to local leaders.

It is disturbing to find that for a disease that killed at least 37 people in the first two weeks of outbreak, health officials are only sending a team to verify after a month and after the number has doubled with more still dying.

The Bugiri outbreak again brings to focus the poor response to situations of a similar nature in this country. Health officials are bound to give excuses and try to explain away things while Ugandans are dying. Sadly, these deaths often turn into mere statistics and few, if any lessons, are learned.

In Bugiri, the District Health Officer, Mr Isaac Malinga, was quoted as saying, ?The outbreak has caught us unprepared,? but was quick to express ?hope that the government will intervene to save lives of the people once the cause of death has been established.?
Because of the nature of the disease, often starting as a common cold with general weaknesses, headaches and fevers, detection and reporting in an already weak health surveillance system, outbreaks often turn fatal.

Doctors say meningitis can be vaccinated against both at a young age and during outbreaks like the one in Bugiri. It can also be treated after an outbreak. The Ministry of Health which has at times responded reasonably well needs to move swiftly to arrest the apparent situation in Bugiri but more importantly, we need to see those much talked about health centres in the villages become functional.

The general improvement in health service delivery cannot only be seen through fancy statistics and political statement but in how well they apply to situations of need.

 

[alert]

Re: Uganda: 72 die from unknown disease - Meningitis suspected

Re: Uganda: 72 die from unknown disease - Meningitis suspected

The bold text is interesting. Every article in this thread has suspected meningitis. With the current symptomatic description, if it isn't meningitis, there are few options consistent. Plague might be possible, or something might be incorrect in the report. Or something novel might be involved.

http://eafr.promedmail.org/

Published Date
2010-04-29 15:20:48
Subject
PRO/EAFR> Undiagnosed illness - Uganda (2): (Bugiri) Meningitis
Archive Number
20100429.207048
Full Text
UNDIAGNOSED ILLNESS- UGANDA (02): (BUGIRI) MENINGITIS SUSPECTED,
REQUEST FOR INFORMATION
***************************************************************************



Date: Wed 28 Apr 2010
Source: Daily Monitor (Uganda) [edited]
http://www.monitor.co.ug/News/National/-/688334/907920/-/wy0vx1/-/


Health authorities in Bugiri District have dispatched a medical team
to investigate a disease that has killed at least 72 people in the
last month. Officials took the decision after the disease, suspected
to be meningitis, killed half of its victims at [Hamma] Island on
Lake Victoria and Buwongo Village, Buhemba Sub-county on the mainland
within the last week alone.

The district health officer, Isaac Malinga, said the team is expected
to report its findings within 2 days in order to help them plan how
to stem the outbreak. He, however, added that the district is
ill-equipped to fight the disease on its own. "The outbreak has
caught us unprepared but there is hope that the government will
intervene to save the lives of the people once the cause of deaths is
established," he said.

The Buhemba Sub-county Secretary for Health, Mr John Mbiro, said 32
people, most of whom are children, have so far died in his area. He
blamed the deaths on the geographical location of the affected areas,
which are both difficult to reach due to distance from the mainland
and bad roads.

The LC1 [Local Council 1] Chairman of Hamma Island, Mr Amuza Nagheje,
said some of the sick have been transported to Lake Victoria and
Bondo hospitals in western Kenya to receive treatment. He said all
the medical personnel at the only health centre on the island had
deserted the facility.

[Byline: Fred Siminyu]

--
Communicated by:
ProMED-EAFR


[The reported death toll from the mysterious disease in Bugiri
district has gone up by 95 percent from our previous posting [see
ProMED EAFR report 20100429.207045 ]. The current report indicates
that deaths could be due to epidemic meningitis. If this turns out to
be true later on, then this would be a rare occurrence considering
that the affected areas are in the middle of the rain season (timing
unfavorable for meningococcal meningitis transmission) and the
affected areas are way outside the African meningitis belt. The
findings from the verification mission by the district team should,
however, help us identify the etiology of the outbreak. Additional
information on epidemiological description and laboratory
confirmation for this cluster will be appreciated

 

[alert]

Re: Uganda: Illnesses in Bugiri

Re: Uganda: Illnesses in Bugiri

This is in the exact same place as the above outbreak, where the story went dead as soon as the team from the MOH arrived (with article #10 suggesting the counts were incorrect). IMO, it is likely the above story was a "several illnesses" routine, with increased death tolls to get attention, and also a very fuzzy symptomatic description and no total case count.

http://www.monitor.co.ug/News/National/-/688334/926098/-/x083is/-/

Bugiri Cholera Death Toll Reaches Nine

Posted Wednesday, May 26 2010 at 15:19

Six more people have died of cholera in Bugiri District bringing the death toll to nine.
The latest deaths have been reported in Sigulu Islands. The epidemic has swept through an island wrecked by economic hardships.
Authorites at the islands said some of the dead breathed their last while being transported to Port Victoria Hospital in Kenya.
Dr Steven Agawa, the head of the hospital said the treatment unit has since Saturday registered 40 cases of cholera.
Cholera is an intestinal disease that is contracted when people eat food or take fluids contaminated with feaces.
The epidemic has been aggravated by erratic water supplies and shortages of water purification chemicals.
Local leaders say health workers in Bugiri District fear to work on the islands because they are remote.

 

[alert]

Re: Uganda: 72 die from unknown disease - Meningitis suspected

Re: Uganda: 72 die from unknown disease - Meningitis suspected

http://www.newvision.co.ug/D/8/17/721687

Strange disease hits Bugiri islands
Thursday, 3rd June, 2010 E-mail article Print article

By George Bita

A Strange disease struck Sigulu Islands on Lake Victoria in Bugiri district last week.Three of the victims, who had stomach upsets and diarrhoea, were rushed to Port Victoria in Kenya. One of them, only identified as Mangeni, died.

?We tried to limit movements both on the island and across the water to the Bugiri mainland. This somehow interfered with the ongoing voter update exercise,? a health worker said on condition of anonymity.

Dr. Stephen Kirya, the Bugiri district health officer, ruled out the possibility of an epidemic.

?We are monitoring the situation. However, just like our counterparts in Kenya, we have tested and failed to trace cholera. Our task now is to establish the cause of the ailment,? Kirya said.

 

[alert]

Re: Uganda: 72 die from unknown disease - Meningitis suspected

Re: Uganda: 72 die from unknown disease - Meningitis suspected

The location (Sigulu islands) is identical to where the above post of cholera from a few days ago was. Very puzzling now. Could be some other type of dysentery, could be cholera (with bad testing/reporting), or could even be VHF (but the apparent CFR is a bit low). This doesn't look too much like meningitis now (although headache is still present). And it does sound a little different (lower apparent CFR, slightly different symptoms) than the posts earlier in this thread from April.

The latest outbreak also sounds a bit like typhoid.

http://www.ugpulse.com/articles/dai...+over+an+outbreak+of+strange+disease&ID=14692

Hundreds of people on Sigulu Island on Lake Victoria have fled their homes this week due to an outbreak of a strange disease.

Field reports indicate that at least two people have been killed by the strange disease and over 20 admitted in Uganda and Kenyan hospitals.

Dr. Stephen Kirya, the Bugiri district health officer says some of the people who have fled from their homes are displaced within Bugiri town council.

The strange disease broke out on the Island last week. The victims complain of stomach pains, headache and diarrhea. The doctors say the outbreak of strange disease is not cholera.

 

[Vibrant62]

Re: Uganda: 72 die from unknown disease - Meningitis suspected

Re: Uganda: 72 die from unknown disease - Meningitis suspected

Bearing in mind that Uganda falls within the southern hemisphere and a)pandemic H1N1 could be prevalent but undetected and b)pH1N1 is known to have a gastrointestinal route of infection in some cases, and produce sever vomiting and diarhoea in some cases, and c) influenza infection predisposes individuals to secondary bacterail infections of all types, is there any indication from reports that this possibility has been ruled out?

 

[alert]

Re: Uganda: 72 die from unknown disease - Meningitis suspected

Re: Uganda: 72 die from unknown disease - Meningitis suspected

No, it hasn't. The earlier reports tended to indicate too many fatalities in too small an area for H1N1, but the counts were questionable anyway. H1N1 is not ruled out yet, although we really haven't seen the kind of respiratory symptoms you might expect if this was flu (no article has mentioned cough, trouble breathing, etc. as symptoms). It is entirely possible that this thread could be the result of H1N1 hitting a bunch of remote islands, and local health authorities comparing the disease to things they are used to (meningitis, cholera, VHF, etc.).

This is one of the most remote and undeveloped parts of the world; I'm not sure anything has been ruled out conclusively at this point.

 

[alert]

Re: Uganda: 72 die from unknown disease - Meningitis suspected

Re: Uganda: 72 die from unknown disease - Meningitis suspected

And ProMED picks up the story. The situation there is extremely unclear.

http://www.promedmail.org/pls/apex/..._BACK_PAGE,F2400_P1001_PUB_MAIL_ID:1000,83074

Archive Number 20100605.1871
Published Date 05-JUN-2010
Subject PRO/AH/EDR> Undiagnosed disease - Uganda: (BG), RFI

UNDIAGNOSED DISEASE - UGANDA: (BUGIRI), REQUEST FOR INFORMATION
***************************************************************
A ProMED-mail post
<http://www.promedmail.org>
ProMED-mail is a program of the
International Society for Infectious Diseases
<http://www.isid.org>

Date: Fri 4 Jun 2010
Source: Uganda Health News [edited]
<http://www.ugpulse.com/articles/daily/news.asp?about=Ugandans+flee+Island+on+Lake+Victoria+over+an+outbreak+of+strange+disease&ID=14692>


Ugandans flee Island on Lake Victoria over an outbreak of strange disease
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Hundreds of people on Sigulu Island on Lake Victoria have fled their
homes this week [week ending 4 Jun 2010] due to an outbreak of a
strange disease. Field reports indicate that at least 2 people have
been killed by the strange disease and more than 20 have been
admitted to Uganda and Kenyan hospitals.

Dr. Stephen Kirya, the Bugiri district health officer, says some of
the people who have fled from their homes are displaced within Bugiri
town council. The strange disease broke out on the Island last week.
The victims complain of stomach pains, headache and diarrhea. The
doctors say the outbreak of this strange disease is not cholera.

--
Communicated by:
ProMED-mail
<promed@promedmail.org>

[The description of the symptoms of the illness alarming the
inhabitants of Sigulu Island on Lake Victoria is not sufficiently
specific to suggest a diagnosis. A haemorrhagic fever seems unlikely
and none of the diseases featuring in previous ProMED-mail posts
originating from Uganda in 2010 seem appropriate (see below).

Rift Valley fever has been reported in animals in neighboring Kenya,
but so far not in humans (see: Rift Valley fever - Kenya: alert,
prevention 20100520.1675). ProMED-mail would welcome specific
information about this outbreak of illness from an informed source in
the region.

Bugiri District is a district in eastern Uganda. named after its
'chief town,' Bugiri, where the district headquarters are located.
The map of Uganda at
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Bugiri_District_Uganda.png> shows
its location on the northern shore of Lake Victoria. The
HealthMap/ProMED-mail interactive map of Uganda can be accessed at:
<http://healthmap.org/r/0089>. - Mod.CP]

 

[alert]

Re: Uganda: 72 die from unknown disease - Meningitis suspected

Re: Uganda: 72 die from unknown disease - Meningitis suspected

And a ProMED EAFR post.

http://eafr.promedmail.org/

******
[6] Cholera - Uganda (Bugiri)
Date: Wed 26 May 2010
Source: Daily Monitor (Uganda) [edited]
http://www.monitor.co.ug/News/National/-/688334/926098/-/x083is/-/index.html

Six more people have died of cholera in Bugiri District bringing the
death toll to 9. The latest deaths have been reported in Sigulu Islands. The
epidemic has swept through an island wrecked by economic hardships.
Authorities at the islands said some of the dead breathed their last
while being transported to Port Victoria Hospital in Kenya.

Dr Steven Agawa, the head of the hospital said the treatment unit has
since Saturday [22 May 2010] registered 40 cases of cholera. Cholera
is an intestinal disease that is contracted when people eat food or
take fluids contaminated with faeces. The epidemic has been
aggravated by erratic water supplies and shortages of water
purification chemicals. Local leaders say health workers in Bugiri
District fear to work on the
islands because they are remote.

--
Communicated by:
ProMED-EAFR


[This report highlights the current challenges in managing
cross-border outbreaks. Patients from the current outbreak in Sigulu
Islands in Bugiri district, Eastern Uganda, are being managed across
the border in Kenya and hence the risk of cross-border spread. It is
therefore critical that mechanisms are set up the regional level for
example at the East African Community Secretariat to deal with such
cross-border threats. Further to that, the authorities in Bugiri
district need to set up cholera treatment centres on the affected
Island to prevent patients being transported over such long distances
to access care across the border in Kenya.

The HealthMap/ProMED-mail interactive map of Uganda is available at
http://healthmap.org/r/01o9. The Sigulu Islands are in Lake
Victoria, Bugiri district, Eastern Uganda, which and can be seen on
the map at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Districts_of_Uganda.
- Mod.JFW]