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Uganda

Uganda Red Cross dispatches cholera kit to Kasese

Written by Catherine Ntabadde

Wednesday, 09 November 2011 07:59

The Uganda Red Cross Society (URCS) has dispatched a cholera kit to Kasese as part of combined efforts to combat the spreading outbreak. The kit will be handed over to the district authorities on November 12th.

One cholera kit can serve 1, 200 patients. The fluids and antibiotics will be administered by the Kasese District health workers.

A cholera kit provides the basic materials to administer oral rehydration treatment within a community or through established Oral Rehydration Units. It includes Acqua tablets for safe drinking water, gloves, ORS salts and containers. URCS trained volunteers will support the district health workers to administer ORS.

Hygiene promotion is an essential element in reducing the spread of diarrhoeal diseases, thus a booklet on basic hygiene education messages is also included in the kit.

URCS has already has mobilized 20 volunteers to engage communities with disease control messages to curb the increasing cholera outbreak in Kasese District.

The upsurge of cholera cases is attributed to lack of clean water and proper sanitation facilities coupled with the current heavy rains and high population movement from neighboring countries.

URCS Kasese Branch Manager Mike Mukirane says 2 volunteers have already been deployed to assist the Kasese District medical team provide case management at Bwera Cholera Treatment Centre.

Mukirane says the branch conducted a joint assessment with the district health office which highlighted the magnitude of the emergency and is guiding the disease control actions.

Kasese district extended a request for support to the URCS and partners to join in the disease control efforts in the most needed and lacking areas of health education, supplies and personnel support for case management.

Since 2009 when the annual cholera epidemic was recorded in Kasese district, the disease has re-emerged this year when 13 cases with 4 deaths were reported on 21st October 2011 in Kayanja fish landing site at the shore of Lake Edward - Nyakiyumbu sub-county, Bukonzo west health sub-district.

Since then, the disease has been on the upsurge with a cumulative number of 78 cases and 7 deaths have so far been recorded as of 7th November 2011.

The disease has since spread affecting a new sub-county of Maliba in Busongora North Health Sub District (HSD) with the fear of spreading further in the whole district.

Recently, URCS together with European Union and Danish Red Cross handed over a rural water and sanitation programme which was implemented in Kasese, Hoima, Bulisa, Kabarole and Ntoroko.

In Kasese the programme was implemented in Kyabarungira, Kitswamba and Karusandara Sub Counties and these have not experienced cholera outbreaks in the recent past. The programme lasted for four years from 2007-2011.