By Daniel Edyegu

EASTERN Uganda will soon be declared free of cholera, five months after the epidemic broke out. The disease, which mostly affected Butaleja, Manafwa, Pallisa and Mbale districts, killed 32 people out of the 482 who were infected.

Dr. Kenneth Mweru, Butaleja’s district health officer, said no new case had been reported and there was no patient admitted to the treatment centre at Nakiganda.

“Our worry is that the disease might break out again because of the heavy rains pounding the region.

The district health team is still sensitising the communities on how to prevent the spread of the disease,” Mweru said on Wednesday.

The treatment centre, he added, would remain open for a month before the district is declared cholera-free.

Bernard Ikwara, the Pallisa disease surveillance officer, said the last cholera patient was discharged from Kasasira health centre last week.

“Recently, we received two suspected cholera patients but the tests revealed that they were suffering from diarrhoea.”

The medical teams, he noted, were sensitising the communities on how to prevent the disease.

Ikwara said the Agulle, Kasasira and Kasodo treatment centres would remain open for three months before the district is declared safe.

Fred Wamakale, the head of the Bugobero cholera treatment centre in Manafwa district, on Wednesday said they had not received any new case for the last two weeks.

He, too, said the centre would remain open for a month before the area is declared free of the epidemic.

According to Dr. Francis Abwaimo, the Mbale district health officer, the last three patients there were discharged last week.

“We received two cases last week but the tests revealed that they were suffering from dysentery not cholera,” he told The New Vision on Wednesday.

Abwaimo explained that the four schools, which were closed last month because of the outbreak of the epidemic, had been reopened.

They are Burukuru, Tubeyi, Bumaliro and Nyodo primary schools. He said the Busiu cholera treatment centre would still be open for a month.

Highlights

32 of the 482 cases reported in Butaleja, Manafwa, Pallisa and Mbale districts died

No new case in Butaleja but the pounding rains could spark a fresh outbreak

Most treatment centres in affected districts to remain open for between one and three months

The last patient was discharged from Kasasira health centre in Pallisa last week

No new case reported in Manafwa and Mbale districts