CHOLERA - UGANDA (02): (KASESE)
****************************
A ProMED-mail post
<http://www.promedmail.org>
ProMED-mail is a program of the
International Society for Infectious Diseases
<http://www.isid.org>


Date: Wed 30 Sep 2009
Source: Daily Monitor (Uganda) [edited]
<http://www.monitor.co.ug/artman/publish/regional-special/Kasese_District_registers_60_cholera_cases_92132.shtml>


Kasese District has registered 60 cholera cases this month [September 
2009], bringing the total to 498 cholera cases since March [2009],
the district health officer has said. Speaking to Daily Monitor 
yesterday [29 Sep 2009], Dr Peter Mukobi said no deaths have been
registered this month. He said the disease has killed 10 people since 
March [2009].

According to a health report released on Monday [28 Sep 2009], 
Bukonzo West constituency, which borders the Democratic Republic of
Congo (DRC), has the highest number of cases totalling to 398, 
Bukonzo East has 60 and Busongora County has 40 cases.

Last week [week of 21 Sep 2009], the district health team led by Ms 
Rehema Muhindo, the district secretary for health, banned the sale of
cold drinks and food on roadsides. Speaking to Daily Monitor on 
Monday [28 Sep 2009], Ms Muhindo said: "The ban is aimed at reducing
cholera cases in the district and some punitive measures have been 
imposed in all the 23 sub-counties in the district."

Ms Muhindo said Bukonzo West is mainly affected because of border 
business transactions with the Congolese. In the DRC, at least 100
people have died of cholera in parts of eastern province since 
January [2009], according to medical sources.

The Kasese Town Council principal education officer, Mr Loius 
Muhwezi, said the main cause of the disease is poor sanitation. Dr
Peter Mukobi, attributed the cholera outbreak to poor latrine 
coverage. "When it rains, the waters wash down the faecal material
into the rivers and this increases the risk factor," Mr Mukobi said 
on Monday [28 Sep 2009].

Kasese was last year [2008] hit by cholera and more than 120 cases 
were registered. The DRC's South Kivu Province is the worst affected,
with at least 75 people dead and 6392 infected, said Ms Eugene 
Kabambi, who is in charge of communications at the World Health
Organisation (WHO) in DRC.

[Byline: Columbus Tusiime, Felix Basiime & Agencies]

--
Communicated by:
ProMED-EAFR
<promed-eafr@promedmail.org>

[The persistence and probably upsurge of cholera in this region is a 
key indication of the poor understanding of the local population on 
the importance of maintaining good hygiene through proper faecal 
disposal and the use of the other control measures to reduce 
transmission. The health authorities need to double their effort to 
maintain outbreaks to bear minimum.

Kasese district in southwestern Uganda can be located on the 
administrative map at 
<http://www.coetzee-uganda.com/index_files/District_Map_of_Uganda.htm>. 
- Mod. BE]

[see also:
Cholera - Tanzania: (Zanzibar West) 20090927.202711
Cholera - Ethiopia (03): Addis Ababa, susp 20090918.202407
Cholera, diarrhea & dysentery: Worldwide 20090914.202068
Cholera - Kenya: Turkana 20090914.202053
Cholera - Ethiopia (02): Addis Ababa, susp., RFI 20090909.201978
Cholera, fatal - Kenya: (Nairobi) susp, RFI 20090907.201933
Cholera - Ethiopia: Addis Ababa, susp., RFI 20090906.201904
Cholera - Zimbabwe (02): (Manicaland) 20090827.201489
Cholera update: WHO global surveillance summary 2008 20090805.201108
Cholera - DR Congo: (N. & S. Kivu) 20090726.200887
Cholera - Somalia: (Mogadishu) 20090726.200886
Cholera - Zimbabwe: (Mashonaland E. Prov) 20090725.200878
Cholera - Uganda (02): (Busia) RFI 20090724.200847
Cholera - Sudan: (N. Bahr-al-Ghazal, Aweil), conf 20090717.200637
Cholera - Uganda: (Busia) susp 20090715.200580
Cholera - Uganda: (Kasese), ex DR Congo 20090712.200530]

[Additional background information on cholera is available from the 
general ProMED-mail list. The postings below can be found at
<http://www.promedmail.org>. - Mod.JFW]

[Cholera, diarrhea & dysentery update 2009 (24) 20090930.3411
Cholera, diarrhea & dysentery update 2009 (20) 20090724.2616
Meningitis, meningococcal - Uganda (04) 20090220.0716
2008
----
Cholera, diarrhea & dysentery update 2008 (54) 20081218.3988
Cholera, diarrhea & dysentery update 2008 (51) 20081212.3906
Hepatitis E virus - Uganda (12): (BUN), novel strain susp 20081210.3881
Cholera, diarrhea & dysentery update 2008 (44) 20081118.3641
Cholera, diarrhea & dysentery update 2008 (43): Congo DR 20081114.3597
Cholera, diarrhea & dysentery update 2008 (41) 20081023.3347
Cholera, diarrhea & dysentery update 2008 (40) 20081014.3253
Cholera, diarrhea & dysentery update 2008 (38) 20081001.3099
Hepatitis E virus - Uganda (09): (Kitgum) 20080905.2777
Tuberculosis, post cyclone - Myanmar: RFI 20080703.2031
Cholera, diarrhea & dysentery update 2008 (30) 20080702.2019]

...................................jfw/mj/be

_______________________________________________
ProMED-EAFR mailing list
ProMED-EAFR@promedmail.org

http://eafr.promedmail.org/