Strange disease kills five children in Bukomansimbi
One of the families that lost a 13 year old girl in February 2023. PHOTO/GERTRUDE MUTYABA
What you need to know:
- Mr Steven Musoke, said that after her daughter got healed, she became very weak and can no longer do anything by herself.
Health authorities in Bukomansimbi District, Central Uganda are on a high alert following the outbreak of a strange disease which has so far claimed five children.
The unknown disease with symptoms of high fever, vomiting, paleness, passing out bloody urine and general body weakness, was first detected in January in the six villages of Kyankoko, Misenyi, Kabandiko, Baakijjulula, Gayaza and Kabangereza- all in Kitanda Sub County, Bukomansimbi District.
Kyankoko Village resident Margaret Namuwonge told Monitor that she lost her 13-year-old daughter last week after passing out bloody urine and complaining of excessive headache. The child was rushed to Villa Maria Hospital where she died after being admitted.
George Byakatonda, another resident, lost his Primary Seven daughter in January after being diagnosed with the strange disease.
“When she returned from school, she told me that she was having fever but I asked her to sleep. Later, she told me that she was passing out bloody urine. I rushed her to Makuukuulu Health Centre IV when the situation worsened but upon reaching there the doctor recommended that we go to Butenga Health Centre IV for fair treatment,” Byakatonda said.
According to Byakatonda, the health facility did not have enough blood and he was advised to try Villa Maria Hospital in Kalungu District.
“She was dehydrated and also needed blood, both were provided in required quantities, but we did not save her life,” he added.
Florence Namujju claimed her daughter escaped death because she was quickly rushed to hospital where she received what the mother termed “adequate treatment.”
Meanwhile, Steven Musoke revealed that his daughter became very weak and can no longer do anything by herself in the aftermath of recovering from the said infection.
“Even when she gets a simple headache, we make sure that we take her to hospital for quick management to avoid what could happen,” Musoke said.
Leaders in the area are demanding the ministry of health’s intervention to establish the cause and cure of the condition “killing their children.”
Kitanda Sub-county chairperson Joseph Kamuli decried slow response from regional health authorities.
“If the health teams did something, at least a solution would have been found but nothing has so far been done to help our people yet the number of victims is increasing,” he observed.
But the Bukomansimbi District health officer Dr Alfred Kato downplayed reports of an outbreak of a strange disease in the district insisting it could be acute malaria.
“Our health teams have visited the affected villages and discovered that the symptoms are similar to those of malaria. When Malaria is severe, it becomes complicated to treat. However, we are carrying out further investigations to establish what exactly the problem is, and later recommend evidence-based control measures,” he emphasized.
