MARACHA, Uganda. – At least 311 suspected cases of typhoid fever have been reported in Maracha District.
Mr Rasul Jurua, the district health inspector, told Daily Monitor on Monday: “Since January we have been looking at our data and we are able to find that there are problems. Our data by the end of last week showed we already had 311 cumulative cases as recorded by health units.”
Consequently, Maracha health officials have started screening food vendors within the town council and sellers of drinks.
Call to build latrines
The district deputy chief administrative officer, Mr Francis Opolot, directed families to construct pit-latrines in order to reduce contamination of water with faecal matter. Safe water coverage in the district currently stands at 69.9 per cent and pit-latrine coverage is at 70 per cent.
Maracha Woman MP Ruth Molly Ondoru advised residents to always boil water before drinking it. “Even if you are getting water from a safe water source, it is very necessary to boil it before drinking because many of these typhoid cases are linked to the quality of water we drink,” Ms Ondoru said.
In the past, Maracha health authorities had advised families to eat freshly cooked food and drink boiled water during the cholera outbreak last year. However, many residents claim its expensive to boil water with charcoal.
Authorities had also banned the sale of food on the roadsides but it has since resumed.
Mr George Lagu Atibuni, the deputy district internal security officer, urged local leaders to boost pit-latrine coverage through sensitisation.
“People still defecate in the open and this is the cause of epidemics that affect the entire population in the district,” he said.
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