Health officials in Uganda’s Karamoja sub-region have confirmed ongoing measles outbreaks in all nine districts, while malaria cases surged past epidemic thresholds and animal bite cases continued to rise, according to a new epidemiological bulletin from the Moroto Regional Referral Hospital Public Health Emergency Operations Centre.
The week 17 bulletin, covering April 20–26, reported 27 measles cases across the region, with the highest burden recorded in Karenga district.
“The Karamoja sub-region has ongoing measles outbreaks in all the districts,” the report stated.
Health officials also confirmed a malaria outbreak in the region, with weekly malaria cases reaching 8,500 despite a slight decline from 9,810 cases reported in week 16.
According to the bulletin, malaria cases exceeded the upper epidemic threshold, triggering what officials described as a “surge and early outbreak in the region.”
The malaria positivity rate increased sharply from 27% to 38% during the reporting period, with Abim district recording the highest positivity rate at 58%. Karenga district had the lowest at 17%.
Despite the increase in infections, the region reported no malaria-related deaths during the week.
The bulletin also highlighted a growing burden of other epidemic-prone diseases, including 158 typhoid fever cases, 126 brucellosis cases, 38 suspected rabies cases linked to animal bites and 29 cases of diarrhea with dehydration among children younger than 5.
Moroto district registered the highest number of suspected rabies cases with 13 animal bites, while Kotido recorded the highest number of typhoid fever cases at 69.
The report also documented 17 hepatitis B cases, 17 severe pneumonia cases in children younger than 5, three bacterial meningitis cases and two kala-azar cases.
Tuberculosis screening across the region remained high at 95%, although slightly lower than the previous week’s 97%, according to the report.
A total of 54 TB cases were diagnosed and registered, with 50 patients linked to treatment, representing a 93% treatment linkage rate. Kaabong district recorded the highest TB burden in the region.
Health officials expressed concern over gaps in routine immunization coverage, particularly for zero-dose vaccines, yellow fever, HPV and tetanus-diphtheria vaccines in districts including Kaabong, Karenga, Amudat and Napak.
The bulletin further reported 10 perinatal deaths during the week, although no maternal deaths were recorded.
Public health authorities said outbreak response activities were ongoing across the region, including measles surveillance, anthrax response efforts in Amudat district and cross-border screening at points of entry along the Uganda-Kenya border.
