Wokorach-Oboi — THE mysterious disease that has devastated parts of Acholi and Karamoja sub-regions for close to a month could be human plague.

Kitgum district LC5 chairman, John Komakech Ogwok, quoting sources from the World Health Organisation, said on Friday evening that preliminary tests point at the plague.

"Information from the World Health Organisation says that the strange disease that has been disturbing us seems to be plague.

But the tests have ruled out Ebola or Marbug as has been widely suspected by people here," he said.

Speaking during a book launch at the district council hall, Ogwok said further tests were still being carried out to ascertain which of the three types of the plague disease could be infecting the people.

Human plague is transmitted by fleas that move on rats and other rodents.

The symptoms are said to be similar to the ones associated to a strange disease that broke out in Abim about a month ago and has now spread to Agago, Kitgum, Lamwo and Pader districts.

Those infected manifest symptoms of headache, stomach-ache, bloody vomiting and diarrhoea and also cases of blood sipping through most of the openings in the body.

The last known report of the human plague disease in Uganda was reported in Arua District in 2004 and Nebbi in 2006.

Meanwhile, one more person in Kitgum, a 70-year-old Benon Ongwen died on Thursday at St Joseph's Hospital from the mysterious disease, bringing to nine the total number of people who have died due to the disease and a total of 16 people infected by the disease as of Friday.