The district authorities Kyotera have asked the central government to declare a quarantine in two villages after the death of 20 people during the last three months due to an unknown disease.
The first deaths have taken place in the villages of Kijongo A and Kijongo B, in the Kasasa sub-county, from where the cases spread to the surroundings, according to what has been collected the Ugandan daily ‘Daily Monitor’.
Kyotera District President, Patrick Kintu Kisekuulo He has said that for now “he is not sure if the disease is contagious” and has added that they are still waiting for the investigations initiated by the Ministry of Health.
“But nevertheless, people have begun to migrate to neighboring areas, which concerns us. We believe that the best course of action should be to declare quarantine while health experts finalize a report on what may be the cause of these unusual deaths,” she said.
The deceased presented symptoms such as vomiting, diarrhea, headache and bleeding. Kasasa sub-county chairman Denis Muyunga has said that some residents speak of witchcraft, while others point to a caterpillar in the coffee plantations.
For her part, the deputy spokesperson for the Ministry of Health, Odirah Nansamba, He stressed that the situation is still being investigated, before adding that the authorities have already sent experts to the area.
“Our concern is that residents are visiting mausoleums believing that the cure will be given to them by traditional healers”he stressed, before asking local leaders to “sensitize” the population to “contain the problem.”