Gulu district has run out of drugs meant to treat an outbreak of conjunctivitis [red eye disease], the district Heath Surveillance Officer Michael Cankara has said.
Outbreak of the disease has recently been reported in prison facilities in Gulu.
At least 856 inmates within prison facilities in the district last month were diagnosed with red eye disease by a team from the ministry of health.
The district Health Surveillance Officer Mr Michael Cankara, told Acholi times in an interview on Friday last week that the district medical store has been without the recommended drug for treating red eye for the last two weeks.
Mr Cankara said when the outbreak was registered the district had only a few stocks of Tetracycline eye ointment and chloramphenicol eye drops, the drugs used to treat red eye disease.
The initial medicine for the treatment was got from the World Health Organisation (WHO), Cankara said.
Without drugs, the Gulu Health Surveillance Officer fears that about 790 of people who were still receiving treatment could develop complications leading to permanent visual impairment.
He said although no new cases are being registered, they are worried that if the disease spreads outside the prison facilities to the community, curbing it would prove challenging with no drugs for treatment.
Mr Cankara disclosed that they have already written to the Ministry of Health notifying them about the drug shortage and need for urgent restocking.
According to Mr Cankara, the district needs about 2,000 tubes of Tetracycline eye ointment and chloramphenicol eye drops to manage current and emergency cases
In the open market, Tetracycline eye ointment costs Shs 2,000 while chloramphenicol eye drops cost Shs 1,500.
Isolation
Mr Cankara noted that currently 12 people diagnosed with red eye disease are in isolation wards at Pece prison while four are at Gulu Central Prison being monitored.
The Minister of state for Primary Health Care Dr Joyce Moriku Kaducu when contacted in a telephone interview said although they haven’t received the letter from Gulu district, the ministry will follow up the matter with the National Medical Store.
Red eye disease is usually caused by a bacterial or viral infection which causes a reddening of the eye, eye pain, itching, eye discharge, swollen eyes and visual disturbances.
