By our reporter
The ministry of health has made u-turn to confirmed an outbreak of Crimean-Congo Hemorrhagic Fever (CCHF) in the central district of Nakaseke.
Sarah Opendi, state minister for health has sais laboratory results of the samples which were taken from a suspected case who has been under isolation at Kiwoko Hospital, Nakaseke tested positive of the fever.
“Results from Uganda Virus Research Institute, Entebbe tested positive for the Crimean-Congo Hemorrhagic Fever and negative for other viral Hemorrhagic Fevers like Ebola, Marburg, Rift Valley Fever and Sosuga,” said Opendi.
The confirmation of the CCHF comes barely three weeks after the ministry of health denied the outbreak.
On Jan. 5, Opendi told media that the samples taken from the suspected 9-year-old boy tested negative of CCHF, contrary to the claims from Nakaseke districts authorities on the outbreak.
Crimean-Congo is a tick-borne illness transmitted to humans through tick bites. It is also be transmitted through contact with the blood of infected animals especially during slaughter.
It can also be transmitted through direct contact with the blood, secretions and the organs of infected people.
According to the global health body, the fever is associated with high case fatality ratio of about 10-40 percent, which is endemic in Africa, the Balkans and the Middle East.
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