Aceng says the US government through USAID and Centers for Disease Control (CDC) has provided funding of up to $40million asking Uganda to use the money to reduce malaria infections by half in especially highest burden areas of Karamoja, Busoga, Lango and Westnile where prevalence goes to the highs of 22% against the 9% national average.
With fourteen
to sixteen people still succumbing to malaria every day, the Ministry of Health
(MOH) signed a new $40 million worth grant on Friday to popularize malaria
prevention strategies in communities where prevalence is still very high.
Dr. Jimmy
Opigo who heads the Malaria Control programme in the ministry told journalists that
unlike before where deaths were most common among children below five years of
age, they are seeing a shift in especially urban areas where teenagers are also
badly affected.
//Cue in: “Unfortunately
malaria mortality ………..
Cue out: ………………
immunity is not available."//
While this is
happening, Uganda boasts of having succeeded in ensuring that households across
the country have access to a bed net with coverage estimated at 97%.
Every two
years, Health Minister Dr. Jane Ruth Aceng says they redistribute free mosquito
nets across the country since science has proven that when properly used, a net
can greatly prevent bites that are responsible for malaria. She however notes
that while this has been brought to scale, they need to do more to ensure
communities appreciate why these prevention methods should be adopted.
//Cue in:”
Without community ownership …………
Cue out: …………..
they participate themselves."//
Dr. Aceng says
the US government through USAID and Centers for Disease Control (CDC) has provided
funding of up to $40million asking Uganda to use the money to reduce malaria
infections by half in especially highest burden areas of Karamoja, Busoga,
Lango and Westnile where prevalence goes to the highs of 22% against the 9%
national average.
She says part
of the money will go to the private sector to improve the quality of care given
there considering that they are the first point of care for most malaria cases before
they are referred to government facilities for further management.
According to
Benjamin Binagwa, the Chief of Party of this new malaria reduction activity project
which lasts until 2027, they have set ambitious targets to reduce infection by
50% and deaths by 75%.
This he
said they will do by ensuring each district employs strategies that best suits
them with evidence over the years showing them that a one- size fits all strategy
doesn’t apply in all contexts giving an example of mosquito nets which are not
being appropriately used in the Karamoja region.
On his
part, Richard Nelson, the USAID Uganda Mission Director expressed concern that
there has been continued stagnation in the malaria fight for the last six years
despite funding.
He noted
that for the country to get back on the infection elimination track, they need
to use resources more efficiently and develop new tools that will help in the
fighting pointing out that the country needs to increase domestic funding for
malaria.
Currently however,
80% of all malaria funding is by donors.
