UGANDA LOSSES $500 MILLION ANNUALLY DUE TO MALARIA.

By Inyakuni

Moyo

Moyo district prepares for the second phase of Indoor Residual Spray (IRS) an initiative of the government of Uganda to curb down the burden of malaria cases in the communities. The district has geared up community sensitization involving health experts, Village chairpersons LCs, Village health team (VHTs) members, and community health workers after covering 97% of home states during the first phase of IRS exercise in the district.

DR. Franklin Iddi, the Moyo district health officer, remarked that Moyo district is not exceptional from the burden of malaria although the cases have saliently reduced after the first exercise of IRS.  He has appealed to local residents to embrace exercise since it has remained the leading cause of death in the admission cases. “So we all collective do our part and take into consideration all these preventive issues, we shall then be in position to eliminate malaria in our community,” Said Dr franklin.

According to Uganda government ministry of health, Malaria has triggered a number of health issues throughout the country despite attempts by the government, individuals, nongovernment organizations, and other stakeholders.  It is the leading cause of morbidity in Uganda with 90–95 % of the population at risk and contributing to approximately 13 % of under-five mortality.  Uganda, ranked third in the total number of malaria cases in sub-Saharan Africa.

According to world health organization (WHO), Uganda has the world's highest malaria incidence rate of 478 cases per 1,000 population per year. It is also the leading cause of sickness and death in Uganda and is responsible for up to 50% of all outpatient visits, 25% of hospital admissions and 20% of all hospital deaths. More than 25% of in-patient deaths among children under 5 years are due to malaria.  The report was released on May 2023.

This year’s World Malaria Day 2023 was marked under the theme “Time to deliver zero malaria: invest, innovate, implement”.

 
Courtesy Photo

Recently, World Health Organization (WHO) and the Ministry of Health (MoH) have held a dialogue on malaria with Members of Parliament under their umbrella body, Uganda Parliamentary Forum on Malaria (UPFM) aimed at raising awareness among UPFM members, and decision makers about the critical need to reach everybody, with the available tools and strategies to fight malaria.

Rt. Hon. Thomas Tayebwa, the Deputy Speaker of Parliament called for more sensitization efforts to mobilize communities to join the fight against malaria. “Fighting malaria does not have to be about the amount of money available, but it should be on community sensitization to embrace the basic strategies such as clearing bushes around homes, sleeping under treated mosquito nets and so on,” the deputy speaker commended.

Dr. Jimmy Opigo, the Assistant Commissioner in charge of the National Malaria Control Division at MoH noted that Uganda has continued to record an upsurge of malaria cases, especially in Karamoja, Acholi and Bukedea Sub-regions despite different government interventions to contain the disease. “I urge members of parliament to embrace ministry of health programs that geared towards the fight against malaria, but most importantly to advocate for more funds aimed to address the burden of malaria in Uganda,” said Dr. Opigo.

Dr. Charles Katureebe, the Malaria Advisor at WHO Uganda asked MPs to include malaria among the other 19 neglected tropical diseases and called for political commitment at all levels to ensure a successful fight against the disease.  He also called for strengthening of community systems to ensure that efforts in the fight against malaria are not in vain.

The average economic loss in Uganda due to malaria annually is over $500 million. In 2021, WHO reported that there were an estimated of 13 million malaria cases and over 19,600 estimated deaths in the country.

COVER PHOTO: Sign Post of Moyo General Hospital By Inyakuni