Strange nodding disease leaves 31 dead and 66 hospitalized in North Uganda

 This is a story about a strange disease that has broken out in northern part of Uganda and is causing serious panic to residents. Doctors from Uganda, Zimbabwe and United State of America who are investigating the disease has failed since to come out with real name or cause. They are now calling it STRANGE DISEASE.

A Strange disease has hit Agago, Kitgum and Abim districts in northern Uganda leaving 31 people dead and 66 hospitalized in different hospitals across the region.
Dr. Vicentina Achola, the medical superintendent of Kalongo Hospital located in Agago district said since the outbreak 41 people have been admitted for medication in Kalongo Hospital alone.
The rest of the patients, she said were hospitalized in other health centres, but that out of those admitted in Kalongo, five people passed away because they were taken in critical condition.
Other deaths occurred at home and in other health centres including St. Joseph’s Hospital Lacor where two people passed away and Namukora health centre where one died.
Many of the dead were from Adilang and Paimol Sub-Counties and also some parts of Kitgum and Abim district where the first case was detected. The disease Doctors said bears symptoms including serious headache, abdominal pains and heavy vomiting doused with blood, cough and passing out of blood from body openings.
If not treated within six days, Dr. Vicentina said the patient becomes weaker and weaker then develop convulsion and eventually dies after passing out blood from different body openings.
Dr. Achola said the disease was first reported in Abim district about two months ago then another case was detected in Agago district, northern Uganda on November 11th.
She said the disease spreads through body contacts like shaking hands, sharing beds and touching body fluids including sweat, saliva and semen or vaginal fluids from the infected person but also warned locals against eating game meat or dead domestic animals.
After recovery, patients are kept in isolation wards for 21 days while under strict monitoring by medics before they are taken back to their respective homes.
“Medical experts including those from World Health Organization (WHO) have not yet ascertained the real cause of disease or weather it is spreading from animals to man that is why we are still calling it strange disease,” Achola said.
Dr. Joseph Wamala who is heading a team from the ministry of health said during the task force meeting in Kitgum that tests curried out never linked the disease to Ebola, Marbug, plague or typhoid.
He said a team of doctors from the ministry of health-Kampala; America and Zimbabwe were in Kitgum district to investigate the disease.
The worst affected areas are those occupied by former refugees displaced by the Lord’s resistance Army (LRA) of the infamous fugitive rebel leader Joseph Kony.
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