The Independent Uganda: You get the Truth we Pay the Price
Arua, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Arua district Covid-19 surveillance team has complained of harassment from communities where they receive alerts for positive cases.
According to the surveillance team, whenever they respond to the alerts, the communities block them from evacuating the cases for treatment, demanding guidance on how to treat themselves in their homes.
Paul Bishop Drileba, the acting Arua District Health Officer says that some of the people whose samples test positive resort to insults and warn him never to call them again when he asks them to come to the district health department for assistance.
He says the continued harassment directed at the health teams by the community members including those testing positive is frustrating their efforts to manage the spread of the virus.
Similarly, Ben Angumaniyo, the acting Covid-19 surveillance focal person says that they have been forced to endure abuses and harassment by the positive cases as they struggle to help them.
He calls for continuous community sensitization to encourage the residents to accept the results from their samples and avail themselves for better management to avoid further spread of the pandemic.
Festus Ayikobua, the Arua Resident District Commissioner and COVID-19 taskforce chairperson says that where there is need for security to be notified about the challenges they are facing in the communities.
He however expressed the challenge of transport, which affects the timely response to the cases.
Last week, Arua district COVID-19 surveillance team received 221 community alerts, 36 of these tested positive for the virus. There are currently 182 cases under home based care.
*****
URN
