Meningitis kills 11 in northeastern region

At least 11 people in northeastern Uganda have died from suspected meningitis after a specimen taken from one patient tested positive for the disease, health officials said on Monday.

"A single positive result indicates that there is a meningitis outbreak in the area and we have sent a team to help in the control," health ministry spokesman Paul Kaggwa said.

Reports from the region said 140 suspected cases - including 11 fatalities - had been recorded since the beginning of the year in the district of Nakapiripirit.

Nakapiripirit is one of three districts that make up Uganda's northeastern region of Karamoja.

Kaggwa confirmed that one of the specimens taken from four victims in the district, who showed symptoms of the disease, had returned positive for meningitis.

"We are also testing others, including those from Kitgum district in the north," he added.

The ministry warned the general public in the affected areas to avoid large gatherings. According to the United Nations World health Organization, "close and prolonged contact" facilitates the spread of the disease.

Meningitis is an infection of the thin lining that surrounds the brain and the spinal cord. The bacteria are transmitted through droplets of respiratory or throat secretions. Symptoms include a stiff neck, high fever, sensitivity to light, confusion, headaches and vomiting.