Uganda: Yellow fever deaths reach 50

[Pastor Dale Morgan]

Plagues, pestilences and Diseases

Uganda: Yellow fever deaths reach 50

   
Posted Wednesday, December 29 2010 at 00:00

Kampala

The number of people killed by yellow fever in northern Uganda has reached 50 and 187 are hospitalised, an official has confirmed. Dr Isa Makumbi, a commissioner in the health ministry, made the revelations last night.

Earlier, Junior health minister James Kakooza had told Daily Monitor on phone that the viral disease has been confirmed in Abim, Agago, Lamwo, Kitgum, Pader, Gulu, Arua, Kaabong and Lira districts.

“The infection was in place as early as two months ago. Since then, we have been doing investigations to ascertain the disease. It is only two weeks ago that we confirmed the viral infection as yellow fever,” Mr Kakooza said. He said the disease has taken a new string of infection where patients suffer severe vomiting of blood, diarrhoea and swollen eyes.

Signs

“The common signs of this fever are yellow eyes and urine as well as vomiting but this time around the symptoms are severe. This explains why investigations have taken long,” he explained.
Dr Kenya Mugisha, the director general, said the fever is transmitted by mosquitos. “The signs are fever, muscle pain and backache, headache, fever, shivering, loss of appetite and vomiting.”