By Valereen Mwahulhwa
Earlier this month, the Ministry of Health announced the outbreak of conjuctivitis, commonly known as red eyes. Conjuctivitis is a viral infection characterized by inflammation of the mucous membrane covering the white part of the eyeball and lining the eyelids.
The press release was delivered on March 14 after a total of 954 cumulative cases were registered, with an incidence of 353 on March 13. The outbreak has been identified in several schools in the capital city and in eight prison facilities in the country.
The affected divisions within Kampala district are Nakawa and Rubaga. The affected prisons include Luzira Upper Prison, Murchison Bay Prison, Kasanda Prison, Kaweeri Prison, Lira Main Prison, Erute Prison, Pader Prison, and Kampala Remand Prison.
According to the information obtained from the Ministry of Health, conjunctivitis is caused by viral infections, seasonal allergies, bacterial infections, and reactions to eye medication. It’s symptoms include redness in the white of the eye or inner eyelid, increased tears, thick yellow discharge over the eyelashes, itching, blurred vision, and sensitivity to light.
The Ministry of Health encourages the public to maintain high sanitation standards, wash hands frequently with clean water and soap, avoid direct contact with infected people, particularly touching eyes and shaking hands, and don’t share pillows, washcloths, or towels with infected persons.
Dr. Geoffrey Mulindwa, the Director of Medical Services at Alan Galpin Health Centre at Uganda Christian University [UCU], pointed out that although UCU has not registered any cases of conjunctivitis yet, students should practice hand hygiene because this helps to kill the germs.
“Also, when sick, visit the health facility for the right assessment and help, and together we can all help in disseminating this information,” he added.
Lynnet Agnes Kembabazi, a student at UCU, is a recent victim of red eye disease and shared her story with us. She says she got it from her younger siblings while she was at home. When she went to the clinic, she was told that conjunctivitis is mostly common in children and rare among older people.
She exhibited symptoms like headaches, red eyes, a lot of discharge from her eyes, and difficulty bending and walking, which she confirmed was the case with other victims.
“Initially, it was just one eye, but eventually the second eye also contracted the virus. I had to take a break from work for at least a week while stayed at home and took medication.” Kembazi said.
She claims that for her siblings, the disease did not affect them as severely as it did for her. Other symptoms were that she was always thirsty and lost appetite.
Kembazi highlighted that washing her eyes frequently helped her a lot, as well as the eye drops that were prescribed for her. She also advises that one visit a health facility before self-medicating. Lynnet said, “I also got some wounds, so the doctor prescribed ampiclox capsules to dry them up.” She advises that we keep our hands clean, wear sunglasses to avoid dust, and avoid touching our eyes with dirty hands.
