Rift Valley Fever outbreak kills three more people in Uganda

KAMPALA, Jan. 24 — Uganda’s health ministry on Tuesday said at least three more people have succumbed to the Rift Valley Fever (RVF) outbreak in the country’s three central districts.

Ruth Aceng, the minister for health, told reporters here that at least five suspected cases have tested positive of RVF, including three deaths in the central districts of Kiboga, Buikwe and Mityana. The latest RVF cases were reported on Jan. 19 in the three districts in the East African country.

This new number brings the total number of people who have succumbed to the fever, which broke out in August 2017, to five. At least two cases died of the fever in November 2017. “Since August, 2017 when suspected cases were reported, 5 cases of the RVF have been confirmed. Unfortunately, we have lost 3 cases of the RVF from Kiboga, Buikwe and Mityana districts,” said Aceng.

The minister said that a joint National Rapid Response team has been dispatched to the affected districts to handle the situation. RVF is a viral zoonosis that can also infect humans. Most human infections result from contact with the blood or organs of infected animals. The disease can result in significant economic losses due to death and abortion among
RVF-infected livestock. – XINHUA