A health worker rides on a motorcycle to vaccinate children with the oral polio drug.The vaccine is being phased out for preference to the Injectable Polio Vaccine (IPV).

In a bid to increase immunity of children across the globe, Uganda is among the countries that are slowly phasing out oral polio vaccines to replace it with the new type of injectable vaccine which experts say offers extra health protection to the children.

Presenting a paper on the new immunization programme, the deputy programme manager at United National Expanded Programme on Immunisation (UNEPI), Dr. Henry Luzze recently confirmed that this type of vaccine dubbed ‘injectable polio vaccine’ (IPV) was recommended by the Global Health Organization after a full study on how it works and its advantages compared to the current vaccine used in 60 countries across the globe.

Luzze revealed that Uganda is among the countries that are yet to fully embrace that vaccine for the elimination of polio in the country’s population by 2020.

“As UNEPI, we are very sure that when Uganda finally fully embraces the new injectable polio vaccine, then the country’s population will be free from the disease and ensure that there is a health population,” Luzze said.

With Uganda now already at 98% immunization levels, the health ministry is now moving in swiftly to start mass immunization of the swarming refugee population that is entering the country from all directions.

The current South Sudan conflict has seen an influx of refugees entering Uganda with the United Nations figures putting the number at 26,000.

Luzze however maintains that all the foreign populations from war tone nations are strictly being targeted to keep Uganda at the desire immunization levels with polio being the highly considered immunizable disease among other deadly immunisable diseases.

According to the ministry of health, efforts have already been put in place at especially the borders with South Sudan to avoid having Ugandan citizens’ contract  immunisable diseases especially children.

Luzze, said it has been a long journey for Uganda to reach these levels and still sights challenges that the country is facing to hit its target of 100% immunization levels.

He said the challenges mainly include; negative attitudes towards immunization by some parents, negative cultural and religious trends among others which need to be overcome for the country to fully embrace immunization and eradicate immunizable diseases which continue to kill and affect Uganda’s children.

The post Uganda to phase out oral polio vaccine first appeared on Uganda Multimedia News & Information.

This follows reports that the life prolonging drugs for HIV positive people were out of stock in the country, the only one in Africa with an ARV production plant.

The much needed ARV drugs

The minister of Health Dr. Christine Andoa tells journalists in Kampala that the country has stocked adequate ARVs and if there are any issues, it could be in the drug supply chain.

She said that the National Medical Stores have ARVS but the government has a problem of distributing the ARVS to district hospitals because of inadequate staff.

She said that the ministry of Health has directed that the National medical stores to work with the Joint medical stores to have ARVS in all districts.

By Isaac Senabulya

The post Uganda Ministry of Health assures in availability of HIV/AIDS ARV drugs first appeared on Uganda Multimedia News & Information.

Dr. Margaret Mungerera

The operation covering all the five City Divisions has left City Medicals Clinic Bukoto and UCRM clinic along Bukoto Kisasi Road among others closed.

These have been operating without operational license and fully registered health practitioners according to Dr Margret Mungerera from the association of Uganda Medical and dental practitioners.

She has explained that this is aimed at saving the public from the likely dangers of getting treatment from Quake health practitioners and not sabotage.

By Isaac Senabulya

The post Dr. Margaret Mungerera defends Ministry of Health closing fake medical centres first appeared on Uganda Multimedia News & Information.

Hope Turyasingura

The HIV/PEP is   an emergency medical response consisting of short term antiretroviral medicines in all health centers in the country to prevent victims of rape and defilement from the risk of being infected by HIV, the virus that causes AIDS.

Addressing a press briefing in Kampala, the Technical Adviser for CEDOVIP, Hope Turyasingura said that rape and defilement is common in the country and measures like PEP should be widely availed throughout the country. She quotes the Uganda police report for 2010 which indicates that a total of 7564 defilement and 707 being rape cases were reported.

“The majority survivors are young girls, yet health workers are not aware about their role in offering pep services to the victims,” Turyasingura said.

She urged the ministry of health to make sure that survivors of rape and defile receive Hiv/pep as a way of minimizing risks of HIV infection. Turyasingura says this can be through both increased public awareness and training the health workers on management of pep.

By Isaac Senabulya

The post Uganda ministry of Health urged to extend HIV Post exposure prophylaxis services first appeared on Uganda Multimedia News & Information.

Yellow fever spread by Mosquitoes

The ministry in a press statement says people should destroy breeding grounds for mosquitoes like stagnant water and bushes around homes.

Yellow fever is a viral disease transmitted by mosquitos and can kill in as short a time as a week if the patient doesn’t get medical attention.
The disease that first puzzled health workers being suspected to be Ebola is confirmed in the districts of Abim, Agago, Lamwo, Kitgum, Pader, Gulu, Arua, Kaabong and Lira.
The Ministry says those suffering from yellow fever can be seen from symptoms of yellow eyes, abdominal pain, bleeding from the mouth, nose, eyes and stomach.

The patients present with fever, muscle pains and ache, headache, shivering, loss of appetite and vomiting.
The ministry of health says that people who feel any of the symptoms should report to the nearest health centre.

The government is set to launch an immunisation campaign against yellow fever in the affected areas to prevent more people capturing the viral disease.

Ultimate Media

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Uganda Primary health care state minister James Kakooza

Speaking to journalists in Kampala today, Kakooza said that the government of Uganda is talking to neighboring countries to ensure joint fight against the disease.

He says while Uganda has tried to fight polio, countries like Sudan and the Democratic Republic of Congo do not and the disease is brought by cross border business people.

Kakooza further said that when Uganda put a campaign of “Kick polio out Uganda” neighbor countries never bothered to carry out mass immunization against polio.

After many years as a polio free country, the disease which paralyses part of limbs was reported in Uganda last month.

By Issa Baluku,  Weinformers Media

The post Ministry of Health stage another campaign against polio first appeared on Uganda Multimedia News & Information.

Dr Nathan Kenya Mugisha

The Ministry of Health has secured a loan of about 260 billion shillings from the World Bank that it hopes to use in the infrastructural development of various hospitals in Uganda.

The Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Health, Dr. Nathan Kenya Mugisha has told journalists in Kampala that the ministry has also secured a loan of about 124 billion shillings from the African Development bank that it will also use for the same purpose of developing health infrastructure in the country.

Mugisha says the will use that money to improve Mulago hospital and also start the construction of other referral hospital in Kampala in in Kawempe and Kibuli.

He says this will be in a bid to fight the congestion in Mulago hospital though part of these funds will also be used to improve Mulago hospital.

One of reasons why Mulago has suffered congestion is due to the increase in population without relative improvement and expansion of facilities at Mulago.

By Zakaria Tiberindwa, Ultimate Media

The post Uganda borrows 260b for health infrastructural development first appeared on Uganda Multimedia News & Information.

The ministry through its procurement agent Crown Agents Uganda Limited has invited sealed bids from eligible bidders for the provision of condoms and related services.

The news statement from the ministry says bidding will be conducted in accordance with the open international bidding procedures contained in the public procurement and disposal of public assets regulation of 2003 and are open to all bidders from eligible source countries.

Interested bidders may obtain more information from the procurement and disposal unit at the ministry of health in Kampala.

A complete set of bidding documents in English will be purchased by interested bidders on the submission of a written application and upon payment of a non refundable fee of 50,000 shillings or equivalent to US dollars. The method of payment will be by cash or bank cheque or by telegraphic transfer.

By Ultimate Media

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Mosquito which spreads Malaria disease

The study which was conducted among the Brazilian communities in the World’s biggest rainforest of Amazon found out that a 4 percent change in forest cover increases malaria incidence to 48 per cent.

The authors, from the University of Wisconsin, Madison in the United States, used high-resolution satellite data of land cover from 54 Brazilian health districts bordering Peru from 1996 to 2006. They also examined health data collected in the same areas in 2006.

The lead researcher Sarah Olson appealed to governments and development partners to always consider weighing the human health risks of deforestation before cutting down forests.

This is an interesting study which can be used to help fight malaria in Uganda. Uganda has the highest Malaria infection rates in Africa according to Malaria Consortium Uganda.

Official statistics from World Health Organization indicate that there were over 12 million reported cases of malaria and nearly 50,000 reported cases of malaria deaths in 2007 in Uganda.

According to Uganda Ministry of Health, Malaria disease mostly affects pregnant women and children.

A video about the story of a 13 year old Ugandan girl who was diagnosed with malaria

Also see

Uganda environmentalist supports spraying DDT to curtail malaria

Uganda Health Minister says Malaria prevalence to reduce by 2015

Uganda pregnant women to receive seven million mosquito nets

Solomon Akugizibwe, Ultimate Media

The post De-forestation increases malaria rates – Study first appeared on Uganda Multimedia News & Information.

Uganda children

In a press statement seen by Ultimate Media, Kisembo says the current HIV/AIDS prevention efforts are targeting married couples and ignoring children because according to a recent study, married couples are the most vulnerable.

He says children are more vulnerable to HIV/AIDS because they can’t make decisions alone on treatment and prevention without the intervention of their parents or guardians.

Kisembo also appealed to all stakeholders involved in fighting the HIV/AIDS scourge to step up their efforts in getting every pregnant woman tested for the virus because according to statistics from the ministry of health, 90 percent of the children get infected with the disease through mother to child transmission.

According to the 2009 Ministry of health report, Uganda has over 130,000 children below the age of 15 infected with HIV/AIDS. Sixteen percent of these are in need of urgent antiretroviral treatment or they die before turning two years old but only one in every three children that need the drugs receive them.

 Ultimate Media

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