Kabale district has been hit by viral hemorrhagic fever named the Rift Valley Fever officials announced on Friday.
Two cases of this deadly disease have so far been reported in the district.
Tension gripped medics and patients after news emerged on Thursday afternoon that a second case has been registered at the Kabale Regional Referral Hospital.
Dr Patrick Tusiime the Kabale district director of health services confirmed the break out today and identified the new cases as Frank Kanyeterero 48, a butcher at Kabale central market and one Turyatunga from Bugongi.
Frank was admitted at the referral hospital after developing signs and symptoms like fever, anexsia, nose bleeding and bloody stool.
His samples, according to Dr Tusiime, were immediately taken to the Uganda Virus Laboratory in Entebbe, which came out positive.
Kakyetero was referred to Mbarara hospital and while Turyatunga is still being isolated at Kabale hospital.
Dr Tusiime made the revelation while addressing health workers at the Joint Clinical Research Center board room during an emergency meeting he called today Friday afternoon.
The fever he said must have been obtained from the patients handling animal fluids.
“There is no doubt, the threat is real. We need to see how to put our hands together so that we can fight this outbreak as we did with Marburg some years ago,” he said.
Outbreak is the first ever in Uganda. The disease was first recorded in neighboring Kenya in 1931 during an investigation into an epidemic among sheep on a farm.
Since then, outbreaks have been reported in sub Saharan and north Africa. In 1997-98, a major outbreak occurred in Kenya, Somalia and Tanzania and in September 2000, other cases were confirmed in Saudi Arabia and Yemen.
Dr. Tusiime says that the vast majority of human infections result from direct or indirect contact with the blood or organs of infected domestic animals.
The virus can be transmitted to humans through the handling of animal tissue during slaughtering or butchering, assisting with animal births, conducting veterinary procedures, or from the disposal of carcasses or fetuses. The virus can also be spread by mosquitoes and thus certain occupational groups such as herders, farmers, slaughterhouse workers and veterinarians are at higher risk of infection
Dr Bernard kabagambe the Kabale district senior veterinary officer says that the victims might have got the infections from the animals mainly sheep and cattle that are imported from other countries in the country.
In 2012 Kabale district was hit by Marburg virus where 14 cases were reported, seven of who died.