Ministry of health has confirmed the outbreak of the Rift Valley fever in Kabale district.
The Ministry said a boda boda rider who died last week in the district succumbed to Rift Valley fever.
The deceased in his 30’s who worked at the Voice of Kigezi boda boda stage in Kigongi, central division, Kabale municipality and a resident of Rwampara district died on Wednesday last week at Kabale regional referral hospital.
He was first admitted at Mwesigye Clinic in Kigongi after showing Rift valley like symptoms before his condition worsened. Some of the symptoms included fever, sudden onset of flu-like fever, muscle pain, joint pains and headache.
Alfred Besigensi, acting Kabale District Health Officer says that after it was rumored that the deceased showed Rift valley symptoms, they collected samples from him and sent them to Uganda Virus Research Institute Entebbe for analysis.
He however declined to comment more on the matter saying that it is not his responsibility to declare an outbreak of such a disease.
Emmanuel Ainebyoona, Ministry of Health Public Relations Officer told our reporter on Thursday evening that results from the samples tested positive to Rift Valley Fever. Ainebyoona says that Ministry is in a process of dispatching a team of experts to trace the victim’s contacts so that they are also collected and analyzed.
A health worker told our reporter on anonymity that the district health team is watching five of the boda boda riders who carried the deceased’s body from the hospital to Rwampara for burial. The deceased had spent over one and a half month at his home in Rwampara during lockdown.
Rift valley Fever is a viral infection that primarily affects animals but also has the capacity to infect humans. It presents with fever, severe illness and abortions in animals.
According to World Health Organization, the fever is transmitted to humans through poor handling of tissue of infected animals during slaughter, veterinary procedures or disposal of carcasses or fetuses. Majority of human infections result from contact with blood or organs of infected animals and persons.
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