Three people have died after laboratory tests confirmed they were infected with Rift Valley Fever (RVF), marking a resurgence of the disease in Kabale District.Kabale District Health Officer, Dr Gilbert Mateeka, identified the deceased as a 26-year-old cattle trader who died on May 21, a 25-year-old man who died on June 4, and a 50-year-old taxi driver who succumbed to the disease on June 18. The deceased were residents of Kahungye Sub-county, Kyanamira Sub-county, and Ryakarimira Town Council.
Dr Mateeka said samples collected from the three victims were tested and confirmed positive for Rift Valley Fever. In response to the confirmed cases, district officials and the Ministry of Health on Friday convened a task force meeting to strengthen preparedness and integrate Rift Valley Fever surveillance into the ongoing Ebola response.
Dr Mateeka said there are currently no patients admitted to health facilities with the disease. However, he urged the public and health workers to remain vigilant, noting that continued reports of livestock abortions, a key indicator of Rift Valley Fever transmission among animals, suggest the virus may still be circulating.
Godfrey Ekuka, a Public Health Officer in the Ministry of Health’s Department of Integrated Epidemiology, Surveillance and Public Health Emergency, said Rift Valley Fever is one of several viral haemorrhagic fevers, alongside Ebola, Marburg and Crimean-Congo Haemorrhagic Fever.
He called on Kabale District authorities to fully integrate Rift Valley Fever into the district’s disease surveillance system, risk communication strategies and community sensitisation campaigns to improve early detection and response to haemorrhagic fever outbreaks.
Kabale District Chairperson Denis Nzeirwe Ndyomugyenyi said surveillance teams must remain alert and work closely with all stakeholders to protect the district from Rift Valley Fever and other public health threats.
Kabale has previously experienced Rift Valley Fever outbreaks. The disease was first confirmed in the district in March 2016, with another outbreak reported in June of the same year.
According to the World Health Organization, Rift Valley Fever is a viral zoonotic disease that primarily affects livestock but can also infect humans. Besides posing a serious public health risk, the disease causes significant economic losses through livestock deaths and widespread abortions among infected animals.
The virus was first identified in Kenya’s Rift Valley in 1931 during an investigation into an outbreak among sheep. Since then, outbreaks have been recorded across sub-Saharan and North Africa, including a major epidemic in Kenya, Somalia and Tanzania between 1997 and 1998-URN. Give us feedback on this story through our email: kamwokyatimes@gmail.com
