A district in Uganda calls for two villages to be locked up after 20 people died of an unidentified disease

MADRID, February 8 (Europe Press) –

The authorities of Uganda’s Kyutera region (south) have asked the central government to declare a quarantine in two villages after at least 20 people died in the past three months due to a hitherto unrecognized disease.

The first deaths occurred in Kijonjo A and Kijongo B villages in Kasasa sub-prefecture, where cases have spread to the surrounding area, according to Uganda’s Daily Monitor.

Kyutera District President Patrick Kinto Kisikolo said he is currently “not sure if the disease is contagious” and added that they are still awaiting investigations initiated by the Ministry of Health.

“However, people are starting to migrate to neighboring areas, which is what worries us. We believe the best measure should be to declare a quarantine while health experts are finalizing a report on the cause of these unusual deaths,” he said. .

The deceased had symptoms such as vomiting, diarrhea, headache and bleeding. Casasa County Chief Denis Muyonga said some residents are talking about witchcraft, while others are referring to a caterpillar on coffee plantations.

For her part, Deputy Spokesperson for the Ministry of Health, Odera Nansamba, confirmed that the situation is still under investigation, before adding that the authorities have already sent experts to the region.

He stressed that “what worries us is that residents visit shrines believing that the treatment will be given to them by traditional healers,” before asking local leaders to “educate” the population to “contain the problem.”