Gov’t Confirms Outbreak of Influenza A & B in Schools

The Ministries of Health, and Education and Sports have confirmed an outbreak of Influenza A and B in schools.

According to the State Minister for Primary Education, Dr Joyce Moriku Kaducu, the two Ministries On February, 27 2022, received an alert from one of the school settings in Wakiso district indicating that several students were presenting with symptoms similar to what was thought to be COVID-19.

In this school, oropharyngeal samples were collected by the Ministry of Health teams from 198 out of 431 individuals who had symptoms in this school between February 22 and 27, 2022.

Kaducu noted that the samples were tested for COVID-19 and all turned out negative for SARS COV 2, the virus that causes COVID-19.

She said that out of the 1 98 oropharyngeal samples collected from the students, 58 samples tested positive for Influenza A, 2 tested positive for Influenza B.

The Symptoms included Fever (ranging from low to high grade fever), Cough, headache, Joint Pain, headache.

Kaducu, however noted that there were no pathognomic symptoms of COVID-19 like loss of smell and taste, or acute severe respiratory distress and respiratory failure.

“This confirmed an outbreak of Influenza A in this setting which we think is obtaining across the country. The co-circulation of Influenza A and B is not a unique finding in congregate settings,” Kaducu said.

She revealed that younger learners appeared to have a higher attack rate as compared to older learners. And in most cases, the illness was between mild and moderate with no signs of severe respiratory illness.

It was further noted that the illness run a self-limiting course.

She revealed that the Ministries of Health and Education have continued to work together to investigate and respond to other clusters of upper respiratory tract infections in schools to ensure there is no potential missed diagnosis of COVID-19 in these schools.

Kaducu explained that in Uganda, over the years they have known Influenza type A, follows a cyclic pattern with an annual bimodal distribution. “Whereas the cases and the clusters are still appearing, available data from the Ministry of Health District Health Information System, it appears the peak of these clusters has not been superseded.”

Speaking at the same Press briefing held at the Uganda Media Center, Dr. Jesca Nsungwa, the Commissioner for Maternal and Child Health at the Ministry of Health called for calm noting that Influenza has been around the country for many years, even before Covid came.

“This came earlier than Covid but this one affects children mostly below five years of age. It is also very common in elderly homes in Europe. It always comes during periods when the whether is changing between dry and wet season just like it is right now in Uganda, Because it is stronger than the usual flu, the children may experience headache. It also confuses parents to think children have malaria but it is Influenza,” She said.

On treatment, Dr Nsungwa noted that there is no drug for curing Influenza but rather only symptoms are treated.

Meanwhile, Kaducu advised schools to ensure the implementation of Standard Operating Procedures like wearing of facemasks, proper hygiene, avoiding overcrowding among others.