Kyabazinga to champion fight against hydrocephalus
Feb 16, 2024
Muwanguzi added that out of 1,000 children who are born 27 die before their first month elapses which is about 46,000 babies dying annually.
Officials from National Planning Authority and Ministry of Health in a group photograph with the Kyabazinga of Busoga William Gabula Nadiope IV (5th left) while at Igenge Palace in Jinja City. (Photos by Donald Kiirya)
Donald Kiirya
Journalist @New Vision
____________________ Eng. Dr. Ivan Lule (left) a member of NPA board chatting with Kyabazinga of Busoga William Gabula Nadiope IV (2nd right), Busoga Kingdom's Prime Minister Dr. Joseph Muvawala (2nd left) and Dr. Winnie Nabiddo (right) the Manager in charge Monitoring and Evaluation at NPA, while at Igenge Palace in Jinja City.
In a bid to reduce hydrocephalus cases among infants in the Busoga region, Kyabazinga William Gabula Nadiope IV has accepted to champion the fight against the disorder in the kingdom.
Hydrocephalus, according to the National Institute of Health is a neurological disorder caused by an abnormal buildup of cerebrospinal fluid in the ventricles (cavities) deep within the brain. This excess fluid causes the ventricles to widen, putting harmful pressure on the brain's tissues.
Kyabazinga made the revelation during a meeting with officials from the National Planning Authority (NPA), the Health Ministry, and Busoga Health Forum at Igenge Palace in Jinja City.
The Monarch pledges to work closely with NPA, which was led by its executive director, also Busoga Kingdom premier Dr Joseph Muvawala, and the health ministry to reduce hydrocephalus cases.
The Kyabazinga said he was delighted that the NPA and the health ministry took time to join the kingdom in the struggle to ensure that it has healthy people.
Kyabazinga was also happy that NPA has taken centre stage in this kind of arrangement when Busoga is having a lot of neonatal cases as a result of the region being surrounded by water bodies such as Lakes Victoria and Kyoga.
He said the kingdom is an open door and if they work together as has been the case before, they shall wipe out this kind of infection within the region. 
The monarch further advised stakeholders to intensify sensitization about their campaign in Busoga adding that the kingdom will support them.
According to Nadiope, high cases of this disorder were registered in the districts of Buyende and Kamuli.
46,000 deaths annually
Dr Abraham Muwanguzi, the manager in charge of the science and technology department at NPA, said there has been a stagnation in the number of children that die of this disease for the last 20 years.
He added that out of 1,000 children who are born 27 die before their first month elapses which is about 46,000 babies dying annually.
Muvawala said intensive sensitisation will be done on radio and TV stations in Busoga and asked officials from NPA and the health ministry to make use of the opportunity.
Dr Jessica Nsubuga Sabiti, a Pediatrician at the health ministry, said they are going to engage communities as they will be doing their investigations adding that they will also sensitise women about nutrition.
Nsubuga added that they are going to do medical research, anthropological research, laboratory research, and drug treatment research.
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