Cholera outbreak in a fishing village in Uganda: a case study

In June 2015, the District Health Officer of Kasese District, southwestern Uganda reported an outbreak of cholera in a fishing village. Two fellows of the Uganda Public Health Fellowship Program – Field Epidemiology Track conducted an investigation to verify the existence of an outbreak, determine the mode of transmission, and recommend control measures. This case study describes that investigation, which teaches the steps in an outbreak investigation and the details in each step, what needs to be done in each step to achieve the objectives of the investigation, and what might be the common pitfalls during an outbreak investigation. This case study can be used to teach the fundamental principles of an outbreak investigation and use of Epi Info for outbreak analysis. The audience are field epidemiologists at various levels in different settings.