Medical doctors at Soroti Regional Referral Hospital have confirmed one patient from Aprikila Sub County in Kaberamaido District with Crimean-Congo Hemorrhagic Fever (CCHF).
According to Dr. Wilson Etolu, a consultant physician at Soroti Hospital, the patient was admitted on Wednesday 12th October after she received a referral from Kaberamaido Hospital.
Etolu said that the patient had developed severe headache and stomachache that needed further management.
A close relative to the patient revealed that the condition had persisted even after receiving medication at Kaberamaido Hospital where they had been for almost a week, this pushed the doctors to refer them to Soroti Regional Referral Hospital.
“While at Kaberamaido Hospital, the condition had worsened and we were referred to Soroti Regional Referral Hospital for further attention,” the relative stated.
According to World Health Organization (WHO), Crimean-Congo Hemorrhagic Fever (CCHF), is a widespread disease caused by a tick-borne virus (Nairovirus) of the Bunyaviridae family.
CCHF is transmitted to people by tick bites or through contact with infected animal blood or tissues during and immediately after slaughter.
The majority of cases have occurred in people involved in the livestock industry, such as agricultural workers, slaughterhouse workers and Veterinarians.
WHO adds that Human-to-human transmission can occur resulting from a close contact with the blood, secretions, organs or other bodily fluids of infected persons.
According to Health experts, onset of symptoms is sudden, with fever, myalgia, (muscle ache), dizziness, neck pain and stiffness, backache, headache, sore eyes and photo-phobia (sensitivity to light).
There may be nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, abdominal pain and sore throat, followed by sharp mood swings and confusion among other symptoms.
However, Dr. Etolu confirmed that the hospital is managing the patient at the COVID-19 isolation unit.