Statistics from the Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Water and Environment indicate that Karamoja is still lagging at 7.6% Hand Washing practices against the National Average of 36%. The region is also struggling with low pit latrine coverage standing at 21% against 76% national average.
Dr Ezekiel Mupere the head of department said that said six new neonatology fellows will benefit from this programme that is fully funded by the ministry of health to basically teach these specialists all that is there about taking care of babies who are less than four weeks old.
Dr Nathan Onyachi, the Director Masaka Regional Referral Hospital, says that the hospital asked all health workers that had lost the houses, to file appeals so that their cases can be looked into by the hospital management.
The implicated officers include Denis Loka Lakony, the In-charge Omoro District Stores and Justine Ojok, a Clinical Officer, who are accused of negligently receiving blankets of wrong specifications for distribution for Nodding Disease victims. The blankets were supplied by Aboja Construction and General Supplies Ltd, a company awarded a contract to supply assorted food and non-food items worth 49 million Shillings to the district.
Studies have shown that while other age groups have results of up to 80 per cent, the rate among children is far below the targets. It shows that only 46 per cent of children aged between zero to 14 years are adhering to treatment and have suppressed their virus to undetectable levels.
According to the 2018 Water and Environment health sector report, hand washing practices with soap have stagnated for the last two years. The report shows that improvement of only one percent has been recorded annually.
A report released by the district Planner, Alfred Kato indicates that in the last one year, Maracha district recorded 1,842 child mothers between the ages of 10 to 17 years.
The health workers are expected to conduct immunization at 310 sites designated across the district. They will also make visits in 920 private and government-aided schools to conduct the immunization, which is targeting all children younger than 15 years. Children younger than 9 months will also receive the oral polio vaccine as part of the campaign.
The campaign, to be conducted in schools for the first three days and in communities for the last two days, targets all children younger than 15 years, whether previously immunized or not, in order to interrupt the circulation of these diseases. Among them, 8.2 million children younger than 9 months, will also receive the oral polio vaccine.
