Anthony Bugembe
13 January 2009
Kampala — MENINGITIS has killed nine people out of 42 patients in Arua district.
The director for clinical and community health services in the health ministry, Kenya Mugisha, said most of the patients were from Dadama and Oluko sub-counties.
"The district is working with the Ministry of Health and World Health Organisation to control the epidemic," Mugisha said in a statement.
Meningitis is an inflammation of the meninges, the lining surrounding the brain and spinal cord. The disease is caused by bacteria and it is transmitted through contact with respiratory or throat secretions.
"Being in close contact with a patient and living in congested, poorly ventilated premises increase the risk of the spread of the disease," warned Mugisha.
The most common symptoms of bacterial meningitis are fever, headache, neck stiffness, sensitivity to light, mental confusion and vomiting.
Meningococcal meningitis is more likely to affect children, with about 400 children under the age of five dying from the disease annually. Others suffer hearing loss and brain damage as a result of the disease.
A senior health official told The New Vision yesterday that they would send a support team to the area.
"The ministry and the district health authorities are still carrying out surveillance. Soon we shall be carrying out vaccinations," the official said.
An outbreak of meningitis was last week also confirmed in Hoima, where nine people died and 27 were hospitalised.
Be the first to Write a Comment!
Copyright © 2009 New Vision. All rights reserved. Distributed by AllAfrica Global Media (allAfrica.com). To contact the copyright holder directly for corrections — or for permission to republish or make other authorized use of this material, click here.
AllAfrica aggregates and indexes content from over 125 African news organizations, plus more than 200 other sources, who are responsible for their own reporting and views. Articles and commentaries that identify allAfrica.com as the publisher are produced or commissioned by AllAfrica.
