Cholera outbreak associated with drinking contaminated river water in Kayunga District, Uganda, June - August 2023

Cholera is endemic in Uganda with cases reported annually. On July 19, 2023, the Uganda Ministry of Health declared a cholera outbreak in Kayunga District following death of four family members within eight days and confirmation of Vibrio cholerae by culture. We investigated the outbreak to determine the magnitude and its mode of transmission and generate evidence to inform interventions.

We defined a suspected case of cholera as onset of acute watery diarrhea in a resident of Kayunga District aged ≥ 2 years during June 24-August 29, 2023. A confirmed case was a suspected case with Vibrio cholerae cultured from stool. We described cases, conducted an environmental assessment and performed an un-matched case-control study in Lusenke Village which was the epicenter of the outbreak. We used logistic regression to identify factors associated with cholera infection.

We identified 78 case-patients (34 suspected and 44 confirmed); 10 (13%) died. Males were more affected than females (attack rate (AR) = 2.4 vs. 1.6/1,000). Lusenke Village was most affected (AR = 41/1,000). The outbreak began following a funeral of the index case in Kayonjo, an inland village on July 1, 2024. Eleven days later, cases were reported in the distant Lusenke Village. We observed evidence of open defecation, bathing, and washing clothes along the river banks where water for drinking and domestic use was harvested. Using unboiled/untreated river water domestically (Adjusted Odds Ratio (aOR) = 4.5, CI = 1.2-17) increased the odds of cholera infection. Drinking the water in addition to using it domestically further increased the likelihood of cholera infection (aOR = 17, CI = 3.8-78).

This was likely a propagated outbreak triggered by a funeral of a suspected case whose source of infection was unknown and amplified through contamination of river water used and drank by village members. The outbreak ended within one week after a public health ban on drinking and use of River Nile water, community sensitization and providing prophylactic antibiotics.