Health ministry struggle to identify strange illness
Dr Asuman Lukwago (left), the Permanent Secretary ministry of Health, speaks to one of the patients suffering from a strange illness at Bulenga Health Centre in Bukomansimbi District recently. PHOTO BY CHRISTOPHER KISEKKA.
BUKOMANSIMBI- The Ministry of Health has ruled out the outbreak of yellow fever in Bukomansimbi District as experts conduct more tests on patients suffering from a strange illness that has hit the district.
Blood samples taken from five people who died of suspected yellow fever last week tested negative for the virus.
According to Ms Vivian Sserwanja, the ministry spokesperson, government analytical experts, also tested the blood samples for Marburg and Ebola fevers, which also tested negative.
She, however, noted that the Health ministry, with support from other health partners, including the World Health Organisation (WHO), are conducting more comprehensive experiments to identify the real cause of the infection in the area.
“...we are yet to ascertain the exact type of disease the district is faced with,” Ms Sserwanja said in an interview early this week.
So far, five people from the two sub-counties of Bulenga and Kibinge have died of the strange illness in the past month and 10 others have been admitted to health centres.
