Katakwi displaced to get aid

By Richard Otim THE Minister of State for Health (general duties), Capt. Mike Mukula, has said the Government is committed to ending the plight of internally displaced people living in Katakwi camps. Mukula, also MP for Soroti Municipality, was on Saturday handing over drugs worth sh60m to Katakwi district. He also delivered a consignment of 1.2 million condoms, 2,000 mosquito nets, 10 tents for mobile clinics and sh5m as operational costs for staff. He said the Government had put in place an emergency team of specialists to check any disease outbreaks in the camps. “Because of a high incidence of malaria in the camps, the team will have to ensure that no outbreak occurs,” he said. He said two specialist volunteers trained in the field of emergencies and formerly working with Bundibugyo and Gulu camps had joined the team. A June 30 Katakwi district report on internally displaced people stated that the most prevalent diseases in the camps are malaria, diarrhoea, skin diseases and worms. The Katakwi district chairman, Steven Ilemukorit said about 30 children in the camps died of malaria between June and July. He said the number of displaced people had risen to 80,000 in two months.