Uganda contains spread of deadly Congo hemorrhagic fever

Uganda's Ministry of Health announced Wednesday that it had contained the spread of the deadly Congo Crimean Hemorrhagic Fever, three weeks after the last case was recorded. The ministry said in a statement that all isolation centers established to admit patients have been closed. "This follows a three-week period of not admitting any suspect or confirmed cases in the two isolation facilities at Kalongo Hospital in Agago and in Mulago National Referral Hospital," the statement said. During the outbreak, the two centers admitted four confirmed cases, of which two died. The outbreak of the Congo Crimean Hemorrhagic Fever was declared in Agago district on Aug. 16, when one person tested positive for the virus. No new cases have been reported since Aug. 21, the ministry said, and the National Taskforce formed to combat the disease has now embarked on field investigations to obtain in-depth epidemiological information on the cause of the outbreak. The ministry urged the public to remain alert and continue active surveillance for all suspected cases in Agago, Wakiso and the capital Kampala. This was the first time the deadly Zoonotic disease, caused by a tick-borne virus, had broken out in Uganda, according to experts. The virus causes severe viral hemorrhagic fever outbreaks and kills about 40 percent of people infected. Symptoms of the disease are sudden headaches, a high fever, back pain, joint muscle pain, stomach pain, vomiting, red eyes, and bleeding from some body parts.