Uganda: Anthrax Patients Escape from Health Facility in Bukedea District 

By: Modupe Adeniyi. Freelance Health Reporter.

Africa Map showing Uganda.

Three patients infected with anthrax have escaped from Kolir Health Center III in Bukedea District in the Eastern Region of Uganda where they were admitted for monitoring and treatment raising concerns about the potential spread of the deadly disease.

February 26, 2024: Last week, health authorities in the district confirmed an outbreak of anthrax in Aminit Sub-county of Bukedea District in the Eastern Region of Uganda with three people initially admitted to the health facility for close observation and treatment. However, in a concerning turn of events, the officer-in-charge at Kolir Health Center III, Mr. Moses Oluka revealed that the patients had escaped on Tuesday morning.

"We were supposed to isolate them. We told them to sit aside as we prepared ourselves, (put on our protective gear). When we went back to check on them, we found that they had escaped," Oluka stated in an interview.

Anthrax is a severe infectious disease caused by the bacteria Bacillus Anthracis, which occurs naturally in soil and commonly affects domestic and wild animals. Humans can contract the disease by coming into contact with anthrax spores from breathing in spores, eating food or drinking water contaminated with spores, or get spores in a cut or scrape in the skin.  

Symptoms of anthrax are variable depending on the type of anthrax infection (cutaneous, chest, bowel or injection) 

Symptoms of cutaneous anthrax include a raised, itchy bump, usually on the face, neck arms or hand, resembling an insect bite that quickly develops into a painless sore with a black center, swelling in the affected area and nearby lymph nodes, and sometimes flu-like symptoms such as fever and headache. 

Dr. Emmanuel Odake, the Bukedea District health officer, emphasized that his office is doing everything in its power to contain the spread of the disease. He also urged local leaders to intensify community sensitization efforts to curb the outbreak's progression.

"The current victims are said to have contracted the disease while skinning a cow which died of the disease. It requires a lot of sensitization and a lot of community engagement. That is the biggest challenge about the disease, otherwise, it is not supposed to be very complicated if managed well," Odake said.

William Wilberforce Tukei, the Bukedea Resident District Commissioner (RDC), warned the community to be vigilant and mindful of their well-being. "Currently, Bukedea is under quarantine. My warning to the people, let's stop the habit of eating borrowed meat from other districts," he cautioned.

Tukei added that his office plans to deploy a team of vigilantes to ensure the escaped patients are located and brought back to the health facility for proper treatment and isolation.

As the district grapples with the anthrax outbreak, health authorities and local leaders are working tirelessly to raise awareness, implement preventive measures and locate the missing patients to prevent the disease from spreading further within the community.

Click here to learn more about anthrax, its types, symptoms, risk factors, treatment and prevention

Published: February 24, 2024

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