At least five people have been diagnosed with Mpox virus in Luweero district as the disease spreads across the country.
According to the Luweero District Situational Report released by Henry Kasule, the District Surveillance Focal Person; the five cases have been detected from the counties of Butuntumula, Luweero and Luweero Town Council.
The district confirmed its first Mpox on November 1st but the number had increased to five cases by Monday after more patients registered from Friday to Sunday.
Kasule says that the patients were detected at Luweero hospital where they had gone for treatment but these manifested with signs of Mpox.
He adds that samples were picked and transferred to the Uganda Virus Research Institute (UVRI) which confirmed that the patients were suffering from Mpox.
Kasule says that the patients have been isolated at Luweero Hospital where they are receiving treatment.
Dr. Bruno Oyik, the Medical Superintendent of Luweero Hospital however noted that the facility is constrained to handle Mpox patients.
Oyik said that the hospital can only offer treatment and patients are supposed to receive food from their caretakers because they have no budget for it.
He also noted that the hospital has space for only 10 patients and if cases escalate, they won’t be able to admit them.
The district health department has since appealed to the World Health Organization and the Ministry of Health for tents to host more patients and food supplies.
According to the World Health Organization Mpox Daily Situational report dated 10th November 2024, Uganda had registered 443 Mpox cases and the virus had spread to 37 districts. One person has since died as a result of contracting the virus.
Nakasongola district which is close to Luwero had 56 cases and Kampala registered 182 cases.
According to the World Health Organization, the common symptoms of mpox are a skin rash or mucosal lesions which can last 2-4 weeks accompanied by fever, headache, muscle aches, back pain, low energy and swollen lymph nodes.
Mpox can be transmitted through close contact with someone who has mpox, with contaminated materials, or with infected animals.
By Our Reporter
12 Nov 2024
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