Worms impede malaria fight - VP Bukenya
Mar 03, 2011
THE Vice-President, Prof. Gilbert Bukenya, has said although Uganda had tremendously reduced the number of children dying from malaria, children’s immunity was still being reduced due to worms.
By VISION REPORTER
THE Vice-President, Prof. Gilbert Bukenya, has said although Uganda had tremendously reduced the number of children dying from malaria, children’s immunity was still being reduced due to worms.
that feed on digested food and blood.
Bukenya made the remarks on Monday during the launch of a new anti-malaria training programme for village health teams at Namayumba Health Centre IV in Wakiso district.
The programme was designed by the United Nations International Children Emergency Fund (UNICEF), Malaria Consortium, and the Ministry of Health.
The new programme, known as Integrated Community Case Management (ICCM), will train over 5,000 village community health workers to identify uncomplicated malaria cases, incorporate theory on malaria and carry out onspot practical treatment at local health centres with the health teams. They will be supervised by the Ministry of Health and the Malaria Consortium.
ICCM in Busiro North which is the origin of community drug distributors started its workplan and attracted funding from Dr. Margaret Chan, the World Health Organisation chief.
Village health teams will be trained from 10 districts in the central region. The districts are Masaka, Bukomansimbi, Lwengo, Kalungu, Mpigi, Wakiso, Gomba, Kyankwanzi, Butambala and Kiboga.
The programme will later be moved to Kibale, Hoima, Masindi, Bulisa, Kyegegwa, Kyenjojo and Kiryandongo in western Uganda.
Prof. Bukenya appealed to the project trainers to guard against using complex models but use simple methods so as to attract the participation of the community they cover.
The Minister of Health, Dr. Stephen Mallinga, said village health teams were an important component of his ministry in community healthcare.
He added that although the programme was still donour funded, the Government of Uganda would actively support it.
The Africa Programme Director at the Malaria Consortium, Carol Vanderick, said the ICCM training workshops would focus on malaria, pneumonia and diarrhoea.
Vanderick added that the consortium was exploring avenues of reducing the constraints to the success of ICCM in Uganda.
Amina Mohammed, a representative from UNICEF Kampala office urged the communities to fully own the programme to reduce disability and death of children below five years from malaria.
She called upon the stakeholders to monitor and supervise the health teams to ensure that the new project does not fail like other volunteer organisations.
THE Vice-President, Prof. Gilbert Bukenya, has said although Uganda had tremendously reduced the number of children dying from malaria, children’s immunity was still being reduced due to worms.
that feed on digested food and blood.
Bukenya made the remarks on Monday during the launch of a new anti-malaria training programme for village health teams at Namayumba Health Centre IV in Wakiso district.
The programme was designed by the United Nations International Children Emergency Fund (UNICEF), Malaria Consortium, and the Ministry of Health.
The new programme, known as Integrated Community Case Management (ICCM), will train over 5,000 village community health workers to identify uncomplicated malaria cases, incorporate theory on malaria and carry out onspot practical treatment at local health centres with the health teams. They will be supervised by the Ministry of Health and the Malaria Consortium.
ICCM in Busiro North which is the origin of community drug distributors started its workplan and attracted funding from Dr. Margaret Chan, the World Health Organisation chief.
Village health teams will be trained from 10 districts in the central region. The districts are Masaka, Bukomansimbi, Lwengo, Kalungu, Mpigi, Wakiso, Gomba, Kyankwanzi, Butambala and Kiboga.
The programme will later be moved to Kibale, Hoima, Masindi, Bulisa, Kyegegwa, Kyenjojo and Kiryandongo in western Uganda.
Prof. Bukenya appealed to the project trainers to guard against using complex models but use simple methods so as to attract the participation of the community they cover.
The Minister of Health, Dr. Stephen Mallinga, said village health teams were an important component of his ministry in community healthcare.
He added that although the programme was still donour funded, the Government of Uganda would actively support it.
The Africa Programme Director at the Malaria Consortium, Carol Vanderick, said the ICCM training workshops would focus on malaria, pneumonia and diarrhoea.
Vanderick added that the consortium was exploring avenues of reducing the constraints to the success of ICCM in Uganda.
Amina Mohammed, a representative from UNICEF Kampala office urged the communities to fully own the programme to reduce disability and death of children below five years from malaria.
She called upon the stakeholders to monitor and supervise the health teams to ensure that the new project does not fail like other volunteer organisations.