Panic in Kayunga as child dies from strange illness

One of the patients, Steven Miiro, who was on Sunday rushed to Kayunga hospital under severe conditions. The hospital is still investigating the cause of the illness. PHOTO BY FRED MUZAALE.

What you need to know:

Investigating. Health workers say they are investigating the death and will send samples of blood and stool to the Uganda Virus Institute

Kayunga. Panic has gripped residents and health workers in Kayunga District following an outbreak of a strange disease that has so far killed one person and left others admitted.
Mr Ssenoga Mubanda, the Kayunga District health educator, yesterday identified the dead as Andrew Kigundu, 6. Those admitted in Kayunga hospital include Alice Nabukalu, 26, Steven Miiro, 10, Deo Kigundu and Sam Luutu all of Namagabi B village.
According to health workers and residents, the deceased and the sick first developed high bouts of fever on Saturday and later started vomiting.
Kiggundu, according to the hospital and family sources, died on Sunday and was immediately buried.
“We had super with the family of the deceased who are my neighbour on Saturday but at about 11pm, Ms Nabukalu and her son Kiggundu (deceased) started vomiting and bits of diarrhea,” Ms Esther Nansamba told Daily Monitor.
“Later Ms Nabukalu developed mental illness and started speaking uncoordinated. We thought they had been bewitched but later we took them to Kayunga hospital after realising their condition was worsening. Unfortunately Kigungu died,” Ms Nansamba a neighbour explained.
Kayunga hospital senior nursing officer, Rebecca Nanono said they had sent a team of health workers to Namagabi B village to investigate the matter as well as ascertaining the cause of the illness.
Mr Mubanda said they were investigating the disease and would send samples of blood and stool to Uganda Virus Institute for examination.
Uganda has been on high alert over Murburg after the confirmed death of a radiographer at Mengo hospital in Kampala, where he worked.

The fear

Still investigating. Meanwhile, some residents in Namagabi village refused to go for the burial of the deceased, fearing Kiggundu might have died of Marburg or Ebola. However, health workers say they are doing everything possible to find out more about the disease.