Govt to open nodding disease treatment centers

By Joyce Namutebi and John Odyek                      

Majority of the 25 children who were brought from Kitgum suffering from the puzzling nodding disease are to return home, Parliament has heard.

State minister for health, Dr. Richard Nduhuura said on Tuesday that a few of the children would be left to be managed at Mulago national referral hospital in Kampala.

Nduhuura was responding to complaints raised by Kitgum district Woman MP, Beatrice Anywar and assured that the children were being looked after very well.

The children were transported to Kampala by Anywar last Friday.

The female legislator told Parliament that while on their way, the children were briefly arrested in Gulu and that the police demanded an explanation for their road flight. She wanted the officers who arrested the sick children brought to justice saying it was inhuman to do so.

Nduhuura explained that ministry officials were on the ground in Acholi sub-region training health workers on handling the disease.

Thereafter he said, treatment centres would be opened up in Kitgum, Lamwo and Pader districts. He assured that in addition there would be outreach activities in the communities.

The State minister appealed to members of the Acholi Parliamentary Group and especially those from affected areas to cooperate with the ministry.

So far, over 3,000 children, mainly boys between the ages of five and 15, have been affected, with 170 reported dead.

Without stating how much, State minister for disaster preparedness, Musa Ecweru said the Office of the Prime Minister had mobilized resources to cater for the caregivers and the affected children.

He revealed that the Ministry of Health had mobilized sh1b towards the cause.

Ecweru said fortified food had been dispatched to the sub-region in addition to other food to support families.