Kampala Lord Mayor, Erias Lukwago was flown to Nairobi Hospital where he is undergoing treatment over a persistent respiratory condition.
According to a statement from his office, Lukwago was diagnosed with acute anaphylaxis which became persistent on treatment.
The statement notes that While he is not in a critical condition, doctors found it advisable to conduct further examinations and management.
“Following the advice, the Lord Mayor departed yesterday (Tuesday) for Nairobi where he arrived safely and has since commenced the necessary medical procedures” Doreen Nyanjura, Deputy Lord Mayor said on Wednesday.
Anaphylaxis is an acute, potentially life-threatening hypersensitivity reaction, involving the release of mediators from mast cells, basophils and recruited inflammatory cells. Anaphylaxis is defined by a number of signs and symptoms, alone or in combination, which occur within minutes, or up to a few hours, after exposure to a provoking agent. It can be mild, moderate to severe, or severe. Most cases are mild but any anaphylaxis has the potential to become life-threatening.
Anaphylaxis develops rapidly, usually reaching peak severity within 5 to 30 minutes, and may, rarely, last for several days.
The initial manifestation of anaphylaxis may be loss of consciousness. Patients often describe “a sense of doom.” In this instance, the symptoms and signs of anaphylaxis are isolated to one organ system, but since anaphylaxis is a systemic event, in the vast majority of subjects two or more systems are involved.
Anaphylaxis could be gastrol-intestinal, oral, cardiovascular or respiratory. Respiratory, Upper airway obstruction from angioedema of the tongue, oropharynx or larynx; bronchospasm, chest tightness, cough, wheezing; rhinitis, sneezing, congestion, rhinorrhea.
Reports indicate that Lukwago’s case is respiratory. last months’ reports indicated Mr. Lukwago and several other officers at KCCA had tested positive for COVID-19 having contracted the deadly coronavirus.
It has not however been communicated whether Lukwago’s illness is associated with claims of contracting COVID-19.
The COVID-19 scare at city hall was so serious that the minister for Kampala and Metropolitan Affairs Betty Amongi in June announced the closure of City Hall over the weekend after four staff tested positive for COVID-19. At that time, a number of KCCA staff had tested positive for COVID-19 and others sent into isolation.
As a result, a number of offices at City Hall remained closed today and the KCCA Council meeting which had earlier been scheduled was also cancelled. Zamini Masunge, a councillor from Kawempe said that they could not hold the council meeting in the absence of the technical team, especially the office of the clerk which is in charge of the administrative procedures for all KCCA meetings.
However, Lukwago declined to go into self-isolation and called for the immediate re-opening of Kampala Capital City Authority (KCCA) offices at City Hall saying the minister should devise means for operations to continue at City Hall while minding the health of staff.