A NEW DISEASE IN UGANDA AGAIN??? BRUCELLA

By  Abet Tonny
Often confused with malaria, brucella is a reality in Uganda with countless dying unearthed as medical workers remain naïve to the bug. Both malaria and brucella exude cross-cutting signs and symptoms which complicates its clinical diagnosis unless specialized laboratory tests are performed. However, it is a dismay that over 90% of Uganda hospital labs lack these diagnostic tools for brucella.

 People can get the disease when they are in contact with infected animals or animal products contaminated with the bacteria. Animals that are commonly infected include sheep, cattle, goats, pigs, and dogs among others.

Eating undercooked meat or drinking raw dairy milk are the most common ways of transmission, the general human population stand prone here.

Other means of transmission may include breathing in the bacteria that cause brucella and entry of the bactreia through open wounds, veterinary doctors, farm workers and those who slaughter animals in abattoir are at higher risk here.

 Initial symptoms of a typical brucella set of with fever, sweats, malaise, headache, joint and muscle pain but the signs and symptoms that always persist include; recurrent fevers, swelling of the testicles and scrotum area, neurological impairments, swelling of the heart, liver and spleen. Most of these signs and symptoms are the same as that of malaria but the only clear way to contrast is through laboratory diagnosis.

In Africa, the major consequence of being infected with brucella is associated with misdiagnosis subsequent subjection to multiple irrelevant treatments that leaves the patient impertinently financially drained. Brucella is however one of those ailments with least fatality rate ranging between 2-5%, meaning for every 100 people infected with brucella, only around 2 to 5 of them die. This is just in comparison to other diseases like malaria which fatality rate goes as far as 20% (in every 100 people infected with malaria, up to 20 of them always die).

A joint study conducted in Uganda by center for comparative epidemiology of USA and Makerere University College of veterinary medicine put the prevalence of brucella disease at 11% in Uganda. “Human brucellosis is prevalent in both rural and urban Uganda, yet most cases the disease go unnoticed due to no or inaccurate diagnosis. Brucellosis is considered to be the most common zoonotic infection worldwide with over 500,000 cases recorded annually” Catherine kansiime, a lead author in study dubbed annual trends of human brucellosis in pastoralist communities of south western Uganda.  In another study conducted in south western Uganda entitled “Human brucellosis: sero-prevalence in agro-pastoral communities in central Uganda” authored by Gabriel Tumwine found the prevalence of this zoonotic infection to be 17%.

Brucellosis (commonly known as brucella) is an infectious disease caused by bacteria.

The Africa governments should fasten the advancement in the functionality of public health laboratories in the countryside in lines with accessibility by rural communities, equipment, and competence of personnel therein in diagnosing wide array endemic and emerging bugs including the neglected tropical diseases/zoonoses.