At least 11 children have died from measles in Napak, Karamoja sub-region, since the outbreak was declared two weeks ago, the ministry of Health said.
In a situation update, the ministry reported a cumulative total of 74 cases and 11 deaths across all 12 sub-counties in the pastoralist communities.
The ministry confirmed the outbreak on November 19 after a suspected measles case was admitted to the children’s ward at Matany Hospital on November 15.
“Active surveillance search is ongoing, and the line list will be updated. The mass measles-rubella vaccination campaign has not yet started,” the ministry said in the report.
Risk factors identified by the ministry include low measles immunization coverage in the most affected sub-counties, poor housing conditions, household overcrowding, and a high rate of malnutrition among children under five years.
Last year, the ministry reported a measles outbreak in 56 districts across Uganda.
Measles is a highly contagious viral disease transmitted through coughing and sneezing, causing serious illness. Symptoms include high fever, cough, runny nose, and red, watery eyes.
According to the World Health Organization, symptoms typically appear about seven to 14 days after infection.
*Xinhua
