Disease control "uncertain" in Bundibugyo

The control of an outbreak of cholera and several other diseases among the displaced populations in the western Bundibugyo district is "uncertain" due to the rebel insurgency. WHO's community and water sanitation adviser in Uganda Collins Mwesigye told IRIN on Tuesday access to the area was difficult. Rebels of the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) had blocked roads and any relief supplies had to be militarily escorted. "It's a tricky situation because it is not easy to tell when rebel activities will stop in the area," he said. "This makes it uncertain to know how far diseases have been controlled, new cases and needs, and how to reach patients." Mwesigye added that living conditions in the camps were poor and there had been cases of malaria, diarrhoea, cholera and respiratory diseases, coupled with malnutrition. Uganda's 'Sunday Vision' quoted a health official Charles Mugero as saying over 30 people were suffering from cholera every week, most of them displaced people. He blamed the outbreak on poor hygienic conditions in the camps, saying up to 40 people were sharing a latrine.