1Department of Integrated Epidemiology, Surveillance and Public Health Emergencies, Ministry of Health, Kampala Uganda.
2College of Health Sciences, Makerere University, Kampala, Uganda.
Am J Trop Med Hyg. 2021 Feb 8;104(4):1225-1231. doi: 10.4269/ajtmh.20-0741.
During 2016 to 2019, cholera outbreaks were reported commonly to the Ministry of Health from refugee settlements. To further understand the risks cholera posed to refugees, a review of surveillance data on cholera in Uganda for the period 2016-2019 was carried out. During this 4-year period, there were seven such outbreaks with 1,495 cases and 30 deaths in five refugee settlements and one refugee reception center. Most deaths occurred early in the outbreak, often in the settlements or before arrival at a treatment center rather than after arrival at a treatment center. During the different years, these outbreaks occurred during different times of the year but simultaneously in settlements that were geographically separated and affected all ages and genders. Some outbreaks spread to the local populations within Uganda. Cholera control prevention measures are currently being implemented; however, additional measures are needed to reduce the risk of cholera among refugees including oral cholera vaccination and a water, sanitation and hygiene package during the refugee registration process. A standardized protocol is needed to quickly conduct case-control studies to generate information to guide future cholera outbreak prevention in refugees and the host population.
2016 年至 2019 年期间，难民定居点经常向卫生部报告霍乱疫情。为了进一步了解霍乱给难民带来的风险，对 2016-2019 年期间乌干达霍乱监测数据进行了审查。在这 4 年期间，有 7 次霍乱疫情暴发，涉及 5 个难民定居点和 1 个难民接待中心的 1495 例病例和 30 例死亡。大多数死亡发生在疫情早期，通常是在定居点或到达治疗中心之前，而不是在到达治疗中心之后。在不同年份，这些疫情在不同的时间发生，但同时发生在地理位置上分开的定居点，影响所有年龄和性别。一些疫情已经蔓延到乌干达的当地人群。目前正在实施霍乱控制预防措施，但需要采取额外措施，以降低难民中的霍乱风险，包括在难民登记过程中进行口服霍乱疫苗接种和提供水、环境卫生和个人卫生一揽子措施。需要制定标准化的方案，以便迅速开展病例对照研究，提供信息，指导未来对难民和当地居民的霍乱疫情预防。
