Tanzania issues alert over nose bleeding illness that killed 3 people
Thursday July 14 2022
Tanzania's Health ministry chief medical officer Alfello Sichalwe. PHOTO | NMG
Tanzanian health authorities issued an alert on Wednesday saying three people have died and 13 others admitted to health centres after a strange disease broke out in the country's southern region of Lindi.
Alfello Sichalwe, the chief medical officer in the Ministry of Health, said in a statement people should not panic as the government was working hard to detect it.
Symptoms of the disease included fever, nosebleeds, headache and body fatigue, said Mr Sichalwe, adding that the deaths and patients were recorded as at Tuesday in Ruangwa district, and their tested samples showed negative for Covid-19, Ebola and Marburg.
He said the Health ministry has formed a team of experts from the Department of Epidemics, the chief government chemist, the Muhimbili University of Health Sciences, the National Medical Research Institute and the Department of Livestock to investigate the disease.
Other measures taken by the government included quarantining patients that are suspected to have been infected by the disease and contact tracing, said the chief medical officer.