The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta have confirmed the conclusion of the in-country Minister of Health: Uganda has an outbreak of botulism to deal with.
According to The New Vision, which claims to be Uganda’s top website, the health ministry has issued a public warning about the botulism outbreak. Here is what is being reported:
"THE health ministry has warned the public of a possible outbreak of botulism, a condition caused by consuming toxic canned foodstuffs.
In a statement released on Monday, the ministry cautioned students, parents and school administrators to “exercise care while preparing foodstuffs expected to be stored for long at room temperature.”
“Care should be taken in handling foods, including proper refrigeration of perishable foods,” a ministry statement signed by Dr. Sam Zaramba, the director general of health services, said.
“Avoid the purchase of canned foods that are expired, damaged, bulging or in perforated containers,” the statement adds.
The warning follows the death in October, of Sarah Akoo, a student of Seeta High School in Mukono.
Test results from Centres for Disease Control (CDC) in Atlanta USA, confirmed that the deceased and her two friends, who have since been admitted to Mulago Hospital, suffered from botulism.
The New Vision has established from Alice Akoo, the mother of the late Sarah Akoo, that her daughter died at Kololo Hospital and the body was taken to International Hospital Kampala for a postmortem examination. Sarah, she clarified, died a week before the school’s gazetted visiting day. "