Authorities in Mubende District have raised concerns over a suspected measles outbreak in five villages in Kasambya Constituency.
According to locals, the suspected outbreak is mostly affecting children, with a few reported cases among adults.
The Mubende District Health Officer, Dr Bob Ssekyanzi, says samples were taken and tested, but no cases of Measles were confirmed.
He also raised concerns about some community members who do not believe in immunisation and instead resort to local herbs.
Residents in Kibaliinga Village, Kasana Parish, Kasambya Sub-county, together with their leaders, say the suspected outbreak has persisted for close to two months, affecting many families.
Abel Ahimbisibwe, a resident of Kasana LCI, said they are worried about how the illness has spread to almost the entire parish.
"We were shocked in the month of January. At first, it was very severe because children were mostly affected by the disease," said Ahimbisibwe.
He also accused local clinics of taking advantage of the situation by increasing treatment costs.
"All the clinics in our area increased their charges, and remember they were the only ones we had," he added.
Ahimbisibwe called upon the government to intervene and support affected families, noting that many parents lack transport to seek proper medical care.
"I want to call upon the government to intervene in this matter because most parents with affected children lack transport to take them to the hospital," he said.
Lawrence Ampiire, a Village Health Team (VHT) member from Kazo East, said several cases have been reported to health authorities, but the response has been slow.
"As VHTs, our work is to report such cases to authorities, but we are seeing nothing from them, so we request the government to intervene," he said, adding that nearly every family has a patient.
Agnes Birungi, a mother of seven, is currently caring for two children showing symptoms associated with the illness.
"They might have contracted the disease from school. At first, I was very scared, but I hope they will get better soon," she said.
Another resident, Grecious Turyahebwa, said her child developed swelling and rashes before receiving treatment at a referral hospital.
"My child was sick. At first, he had a swollen body and rashes all over, including the face. I took him to the referral hospital, and he got better," she said.
Dr Ssekyanzi confirmed that samples were sent to Entebbe for testing and all returned negative for measles.
He added that the district surveillance team is continuing to monitor the situation closely.
"We tested many patients to determine whether it was a measles outbreak, but the results were negative," he said.
He urged parents to immunise their children, highlighting persistent resistance in some communities due to strong traditional beliefs.
"The challenge we are facing is that some people do not believe in immunisation and instead rely on traditional practices, so they refuse to vaccinate their children," he said.
However, Mubende District Local Government, in partnership with the Ministry of Health, is planning a mass vaccination campaign across all 19 sub-counties to improve immunisation coverage and prevent potential outbreaks.