MOROTO – Moroto Municipality which is the main city for Karamoja region has been hit by cholera outbreak, forcing the authorities to shut down unhygienic take away restaurants and banned sale of vegetables and drinks along the roads.
According to Moroto District Health Officer, Dr Charles Omundu Komakech, 109 people are currently admitted and five have so far succumbed to the deadly disease.
The operation which was launched on Wednesday, May 20, commanded by the Moroto town clerk, Mr. Isaiah Tumwesigye, closed over 100 take way restaurants and also locked up several rented houses without pit latrines.
Tumwesigye revealed that the disease which has so far claimed five and several hospitalized, is caused by continuous open defecation.
He said closing these restaurants and padlocking rental houses without pit latrine was the only solution to prevent cholera from causing more damage in the municipality.
“When you look at the out statistics on latrine coverage in Moroto municipality, its very poor and about 20 landlords have no pit latrine making it hard for the municipality to fight against water-borne disease,” he said.
According to Tumwesigye, they have been giving warnings to the landlords to dig pit latrines but most them are so adamant, forcing their tenants to continue easing themselves in the open rivers where people fetch water for domestic use.
Mr. Charles Omundu, the acting district health director said the district health team has isolated the camp for the cholera patients in Loputuk health centre III in Nadunget Sub County in Moroto district.
