The Independent Uganda: You get the Truth we Pay the Price
Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Ministry of Health has revealed that as of last week, malaria cases across the country stood at 955,134.
The report, malaria situation update also shows that by January 7th 2020, 280 malaria deaths had been recorded by the surveillance team being reported at health facilities since the beginning of December. This shows a reduction since in November 447 cases had been recorded and 631 in October falling from 740 in July when a surge in cases was reported by the ministry.
On average, 40 people are dying per week from 80 previously. Dr Joyce Moriku Kaducu, the Minister of Health in charge of Primary Health Care says that they are seeing the number of cases registered per week have decreased from 295,000 at the peak of the epidemic in July 2019 to 199,000 in December 2019, a decrease that she says has happened across all 88 districts that had the upsurge.
Currently, however, the report shows a high number of malaria cases are still being registered in 41 districts whereby districts of Kumi, Nakasongola and Kisoro have remained with the highest cases.
While there is a reduction in many areas, the Ministry warns that people should stay on high alert by sleeping under nets and completing their malaria doses.
Dr Jimmy Opigo who heads the Malaria Control Programme says that they are noticing that after holidays and trips upcountry, children tend to come back to the city with malaria especially those from the North, West Nile and Busoga that have high prevalence of the disease.
“We need malaria safe homes and personal protection as we go towards malaria elimination due to low immunity and frequent upsurges”, he said.
Last year amidst an upsurge, the Ministry of Health together with TASO gave out over a million-bed nets to selected high burden districts after they realized many families were no longer using nets that had been supplied through a mass campaign in 2018.
The surge in cases had been attributed to intermittent rains and complacency due to huge reduction in prevalence of the disease from the highs of 42% in 2009 to 9% now.
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