20 People Dead As Strange Disease Hits Kyotera, Residents Call For Quarantine In Two Villages
By Uganda Online Media
Kampala: Residents in two villages of Kasasa Sub County in Kyotera district are currently living in fear for their lives after a strange disease has claimed at least 20 lives in the past three months.
According to reports, some residents in the villages of Kijonjo A and Kijonjo B started migrating to other areas, fearing contracting the deadly disease.
Authorities in Kyotera District have thus called upon the Ministry of Health to declare a quarantine in the affected areas to avoid the further spread of the unknown disease.
“We are not sure whether the disease is contagious because we are waiting for the findings from the Ministry of Health. However, people have started migrating to neighboring areas which have now worried us. We think the best measure now should be, declaring a quarantine as health experts finalize a report on what could be the cause of these unusual deaths,” Kyotera District chairperson, Patrick Kintu Kisekuulo said
According to Kintu, the victims of the strange disease present signs and symptoms such as; vomiting, diarrhea, headache, and bleeding before dying in a space of two to three days.
Denis Muyunga, the chairperson of Kasasa Sub County, said residents are linking the deaths to witchcraft while others blame it on a strange caterpillar that breeds from coffee plantations in the area and later bites the victims.
“There is a lot of confusion among residents in Kijonjo Parish as some link the deaths to witchcraft while others blame them on a caterpillar which is said to be breeding from coffee plantations. Let health experts come here and help us,” he said.
Other five residents are said to have got similar signs and symptoms last week and are being attended to by traditional healers in the area, according to Mr. Muyunga.
According to the Ministry of Health’s latest findings, one of the residents is confirmed to have died of Meningitis.
Odirah Nansamba, the deputy spokesperson Ministry of Health said they are yet to release a conclusive report on the unusual disease.
“Our worry is that residents are visiting shrines, thinking that the cure will be offered by traditional healers. Let local leaders help us sensitize the communities so that we can contain this problem,” she said in an interview with Daily Monitor.
Nansamba said the ministry had already sent experts on the ground who are working tirelessly to establish the cause of the strange disease and their report is expected to be out this week.
