Fear griped residents of Kiwale Village in the remote part of Ngogwe Sub-County, Buikwe District after what they described as a strange disease hit the area . The disease appeared to be affecting families linked to a controversial cult group identified as the ‘666 cult’.
The District Health Officer, Dr. Richard Bbosa, on Tuesday said they received results from the samples taken to the laboratory and it was confirmed that it is measles .
He blames the outbreak on the cult group which always decampaign government immunization programmes .
” Our samples were taken to both Kawolo and Kampala and all results confirmed measles,”. He said.
He said they are taking the initiative to immunize all children in the area.
“Some of the children were taken into hiding by these cult people ,but we are using all efforts to get those nearby and some are admitted in Kawolo and Nkonkonjeru hospitals,” he said.
Abby Kafeero, a relative to Sam Ssentongo, a cult member who lost two children, said Ssentongo joined the creligion five years ago and has been denying both health and education services to his children.
‘When I realized that my uncle’s children’s conditions were deteriorating, and I approached him since they were not even eating food because of the sour in their mouths, but Ssentongo said their god will heal them,’ he said.
He said all cult members including the children spend most of their time in the church .
To address the situation, Voluntary Health Teams (VHTs) organized a door-to-door operation to identify sick children and provide them with medical care.
“We are deeply concerned about the well-being of these children. The community must understand the importance of medical intervention to save lives,” said Sulaiman Katerega, the vice chairperson of the area.
The “666 cult” has been known for spreading anti-vaccination messages in Buikwe, which health officials say are fueling the current health crisis.
Benon Kawuki Sentebe, the area LC1 chairperson, said these cult members came to the village about 15 years ago and one of the leaders is Shadrach Nyibigira. Kiwale village has about 60 homes that strongly believe in this cult movement and it spread to other villages as far as those in Ssi and Nkonjeru Town Council .
One of the cult leaders, Shadrach Nyibigira, confirmed the death of two children, but denied that it was a result of not taking them for mandatory immunization.
“We have been here for a long time, and our children have lived and grown without immunization, so it is not because of not taking vaccines,” he said.