Officials from the Kampala Capital City Authority (KCCA) have stepped up their monitoring as the number of confirmed cases of Mpox, in Uganda has increased to five.
The first two cases of Mpox in Uganda were brought in from the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and treated at Bwera Hospital before being released. Two cases that were found in Kampala are currently being treated at an isolation unit in Entebbe, while the district is handling a case from Amuru.
Two isolation and treatment centers have been built at Naguru and Mulago National Referral Hospitals to handle probable cases in the city.
Dr. Moriku Joyce, while holding brief for the Minister of Health in Parliament on Thursday confirmed that Uganda is currently managing three active cases of Mpox, including one confirmed case in Amuru District. These cases are part of a broader public health concern as Uganda and other African nations experience a surge in Mpox infections.
The Ministry of Health has emphasized that the country is on high alert, especially after the World Health Organization (WHO) declared Mpox a Public Health Emergency of International Concern. In response, Uganda has increased its surveillance efforts, set up isolation and treatment centers, and is working with international partners to address the outbreak.
The Africa CDC has also raised alarms about the rising cases of Mpox across the continent, highlighting challenges such as limited diagnostic capabilities and a high fatality rate, particularly among vulnerable populations like children and those with compromised immune systems, including people living with HIV.
Supportive care is the main treatment for mpox, a viral disease. The high infection rate among youngsters in the DRC may be explained by the fact that malnourished people are more susceptible to the illness.