Buliisa, Arua on alert over monkeypox outbreak

Buliisa: Following the declaration of monkeypox disease in Uganda by the Ministry of Health, the Arua district health department is on standby and ready to handle the cases in case of an outbreak.

On August 2, Uganda registered two cases of monkeypox in Kasese district.

Bishop Paul Drileba, the acting district health officer in Arua district, says Arua being at the border with DR Congo, the district is prepared in case of any outbreak within the district.

He says the district rapid team is on standby to handle emergencies after a meeting they had with the counterparts in the Democratic Republic of Congo border districts.

He told the community members to be vigilant and report any cases with symptoms of monkey pox since the disease is real and they should make use of their local leaders for a quick response.

Monkeypox is a viral illness caused by the monkeypox virus spread through physical contact, contaminated materials, or infected animals.

In relation to the above, the Buliisa district health department has activated a surveillance team and is preparing to have an isolation unit at the general hospital for any suspected case of monkeypox.

This was disclosed by Dr. Robert Mugabe, the district health educator, in an exclusive interview with our reporter on Thursday August 8, 2024.

He said health workers have already been trained to disseminate information about the deadly disease, clarifying that apparently they have not registered any cases of monkeypox.

Mugabe has asked the general public to be vigilant and report any suspected case of monkeypox disease to any government health facility.

According to the Ministry of Health, the monkeypox disease was imported from the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), and two cases were confirmed in Kasese district. The health ministry also stressed that all districts bordering the DRC are at risk, including Buliisa.

Some West Nile districts, such as Nebbi, Arua, Arua City, Maracha, and Koboko, among others, share borders with the Democratic Republic of the Congo and are at high risk since they have porous borders.

In DR Congo, cases of monkeypox stand at about 7851, and about 384 death cases have been registered.

Story filed by Francis Rwothomio and Pascal Onega.

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