Ugandan woman killed by deadly fever suspected to have been infected by husband

August 23, 2013 (KAMPALA) – Uganda’s ministry of health said on Wednesday that a 27-year-old woman in Kampala had died after contracting the deadly Congo Crimean Haemorrhagic Fever (CCHF).

The woman was married to a South Sudan-based Ugandan trader who had suffered from the disease while in South Sudan and had recently returned to Uganda where he is receiving additional treatment.

In a statement on 19 August, the Ugandan health ministry declared that the fever, which was first reported in northern Uganda, was under control.

“The ministry of health informs the general public that the situation of the Congo Crimean Haemorrhagic Fever is under control with no new confirmed cases reported since the outbreak was announced on 16 August”, the statement said.

But by Wednesday, the ministry was announcing the first death in the country from the fever.

The deceased woman is not thought to have come into contact with the earlier reported cases of the fever in northern Uganda.

Ugandan health authorities suspect she contracted the disease from her husband who had recently returned from South Sudan.

South Sudan has not officially declared an outbreak of the fever in the country.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) says CCHF causes severe fever outbreaks and has a fatality rate of up to 40%.

WHO adds that the disease is transmitted to humans from ticks and from human to human contact via blood, secretions and body fluids from affected persons.

The disease has no vaccine available for either humans or animals.

(ST)