Russia in contact with Uganda over ‘dancing’ illness outbreak – watchdog

Moscow’s consumer health agency says it is monitoring the situation in the East African state

Russia’s human welfare watchdog, Rospotrebnadzor, has said it is in touch with the health authorities in Uganda, after an outbreak of a new disease in the East African nation which causes shivering and walking difficulties among infected people.

A surveillance system is in place at Russian border checkpoints to identify people with symptoms of infection arriving from “epidemiologically unfavorable” countries, the department’s press service reported on Wednesday.

Last Friday, Ugandan outlet the Daily Monitor reported that a mysterious ‘dancing disease’ had infected around 300 people, mostly women and girls, in the southwestern Bundibugyo District, which borders the Democratic Republic of Congo.

The newspaper cited District Health Officer Kiyita Christopher as saying that no deaths have been recorded as a result of the ‘Dinga Dinga’ illness, which started spreading several months ago. According to Christopher, the disease is mostly self-healing, and in severe cases, doctors have successfully treated it with antibiotics.

Locals reportedly named the disease ‘Dinga Dinga’, meaning ‘shaking like dancing’, due to its symptoms, which include fever and uncontrollable body shaking.

An 18-year-old girl told the Daily Monitor that “she felt weak and paralyzed” after contracting the virus.

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On Wednesday, Rospotrebnadzor said “there is no information about the disease on the official websites of the relevant departments of Uganda.”

“Rospotrebnadzor, within the framework of the current documents on cooperation with the Ministry of Health of Uganda, is in constant contact with partners to obtain confirmation of the outbreak of the disease. The situation is under control,” the agency stated.

In recent months, the landlocked country has expressed a growing interest in collaborating with Moscow in the health sector. In April, Ugandan Prime Minister Robinah Nabbanja invited Russia to collaborate on pharmaceuticals, diagnostic equipment, and vaccines. According to TASS, she made the request at the first Russian-African International Conference on Combating Infectious Diseases in the African nation’s capital, Kampala.

During a high-level meeting on the sidelines of Russian Healthcare Week in Moscow earlier this month, Ugandan Health Ministry official Joseph Okware reportedly identified infectious diseases, emergency medical services, electronic medical records, and training of healthcare specialists as key areas where Russia can help Uganda.