In a statement released on Thursday, dr kyabayinze revealed how the outbreak had been identified in several schools in the capital city and eight of the prison facilities in the country including luzira upper prison , murchison bay, kasanda, kaweeri, lira main prison , erut, pader and kampala remand
A total of 954 cumulative cases were registered with an incidence of 353, however with a joint surveillance efforts between the kampala city council authority and ministry of health teams still underway
“so far, a total of 790 cases cumulative have been diagnosed in the affected prison facilities, of which 711 have been declared as recorved giving a recovery rate 90%. The incident ses are mainly admitted as new inmates by police who initiate the cascade of in- custody transmission, statement reads in part.”
Adding, in order to control the spread of the disease, the ministry with support from partners has initiated several measures including promoting personal hygiene and water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) activities in affected schools, strengthening surveillance in kampala , managing and treating affected individuals, sensitizing the public about the disease and prevention measures, and orienting health workers on investigating and responding to the eye disease.
Red eyes’ disease is usually characterized by inflammation of the conjunctiva, the mucous membrane that covers the white part of the eyeball and lines the eyelids. The highly contagious disease can be caused by various factors including viral infections, seasonal allergies, bacterial infections and reactions to eye medications.
Viral conjunctivitis can be spread from person to person through direct contact, sharing of personal items such as pillowcases, facial contact or even sharing eye drops or glasses. This however in a period of 10-12 days where the disease is quite contagious and infectious expected to last for upto 3weeks.
The symptoms within this period may include redness in the white of the eye or inner eyelid , increased tears, thick yellow discharge over the eye lashes , itching, blurred vision and sensitivity to light which all could be dealt with through self restriction and proper medication.
Dr kyabayinze thus urged the public to remain calm, however vigilant, to report all suspected cases to the nearest health center for further assistance.
