Chris Kiwawulo
7 January 2009
Kampala — SIX 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.
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