Bicycles to be used in malaria fight

Sep 05, 2011

A total of 110,000 bicycles are to be distributed to village health teams countrywide to help in the fight against malaria and other killer diseases.

BY VISION REPORTER

A total of 110,000 bicycles are to be distributed to village health teams countrywide to help in the fight against malaria and other killer diseases.

The bicycles will make it easy for the teams to undertake simple community case-management. They will also help them follow-up activities on killer diseases like malaria, diarrhoea and pneumonia in addition to emergency cases, especially among children.

The bikes are being handed out along with medicine boxes and T-shirts. The boxes are meant for the storage of Artmesin Combination Therapy, which is currently preferred by authorities.

According to a statement from the Director General of Health Services, distribution of the items started in July and is expected to end in October.

The statement disclosed that the items were purchased under Global Fund Round 4, Phase 2. The statement was signed by Dr. John Ezati, the planning and development boss of the health ministry.

According to the ministry, the teams are skilled in home-based management of malaria and fever.

The volunteers are chosen by the communities to promote the health and well-being of village members.

However, Kampala is not part of the plan. Malaria is the number one killer disease in Uganda, responsible for over 300 deaths daily.

Children under five years of age and pregnant women are most vulnerable.

(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});