The Ministry of Health officials in Adjumani district have confirmed four patients and nine possible cases of cholera hospitalised at Nyumanzi Health Centre III. The officials reported that the outbreak originated at the Nyumanzi Refugees Reception Centre.

This was revealed during a district task force meeting held by the concerned parties from the Ministry of Health at the district health offices on January 30, 2024.

According to Dr. Dominic Drametu, the District Health Officer of Adjumani, the mentioned cases were identified among the Sudanese refugees in Nyumanzi Reception Centre and are currently undergoing treatment at Nyumanzi Health Centre III.

“Health workers in Adjumani are treating the four confirmed cases of cholera with nine probable cases. So far, no new cases have been reported, and all the contacts tested negative,” Dr. Drametu said.

He called upon the communities to tighten surveillance and watch their social behaviours within the community and refugee centres if they were to curb the outbreak quickly.

Officials from the Ministry of Health and all the district health officials have vowed to work actively together to prevent the situation from spreading further.

Cholera is an acute diarrheal illness caused by infection of the intestine with Vibrio cholera bacteria, which is contracted when people swallow food or water contaminated with cholera bacteria. The infection is often mild or without symptoms but can sometimes be severe and life-threatening.