Malaria death toll in Northern Uganda hits 165

By Joyce Namutebi and Moses Mulondo

NEARLY 375,000 people in 10 districts in northern Uganda have been hit by Malaria in the last three months, killing 165, Parliament has heard.

The affected districts are Agago, Amuru, Apac, Gulu, Kitgum, Kole, Lamwo, Oyam, Nwoya and Pader, the minister of state for heath Dr. Chris Baryomunsi told Parliament on Thursday.

Gulu recorded the highest number of death of 41 people and also had the highest number of out- patient and in patient cases, according to the minister of health’s statement on the outbreak of malaria in northern Uganda.

“25 people died in the community giving us a total of 165,” he explained.

Baryomunsi explained that five years of Indoor Residual Spraying (IRS) in these districts successfully lowered the malaria burden by killing mosquitoes, but it also resulted in loss of immunity in the population against malaria because people were no longer bitten by infective mosquitoes.

“The cessation of IRS led to proliferation of the malaria vectors and increased infectious bites in a population with reduced immunity to malaria,” he said.

He also said the coming of the rainy seasons acted as a perfect breeding environment for the malaria transmitting mosquitoes, which found an already vulnerable population, low stocks of anti-malarial medicines and poor epidemic detection ability by the district’s health system.

“Starting April this year, there has been a gradual increase in malaria cases in the whole country, but especially in the former 10 IRS districts,” the minister said.

He further explained that over time the population became complacent and forgot about the dangers of the disease.

He also attributed to the outbreak to inadequate health education and behavioural change communication, among others.

Baryomunsi told the MPs that sh24b is needed to undertake Indoor Residual Spraying in the 10 districts.

Responding to the outbreak, he said, the ministry through the national taskforce activated the Public Health Emergency Operations Centre to coordinate the response to the outbreak. The taskforce, he said, meets regularly to receive updates and give strategic guidance to the response.

Other measures, he cited include delivery of anti-malarial medicines, deployments of team to provide technical support to the affected districts.

He said presumptive treatment of all people with fever has started in the districts of Gulu and lamwo. 

“This involves treating all those found with fever with a dose of antimalarial drugs at community level. It does not require one to be tested first,” he said.

Reacting to the statement, Koboko MP, Margaret Baba Diri asked why northern Uganda is being used as guinea pigs for experiments. 

“Why didn’t you spray regularly to get rid of mosquitoes?” she asked.

The Ministry of health with support from USAID/ President’s Malaria Initiative started conducting Indoor residual spraying in 2009 in selected districts in northern Uganda due to the high burden of malaria in those districts by then.