As the Ministry of Health (MOH) readies to commemorate the World Sickle Cell Day in Jinja on Friday, children battling the hereditary blood disorder in Busoga grapple in pain amidst stockouts of hydroxyurea, a wonder drug for reducing painful crises and other complications. Hydroxyurea was recently added to the essential medicines list and government announced…
Rising cases of teenage pregnancies and early marriages in Amudat District have been linked to the annual Lopeikiret courtship dance, with authorities warning that the cultural practice is exposing girls aged 13 to 18 to early sexual activity and forced marriages. District leaders and health workers say the dance, held between October and December among…
Health communication is most effective when people receive, understand, and trust information in the language they use in everyday life. Across Africa and many low-resource settings, a significant proportion of the population has limited proficiency in official languages such as English, French, or Portuguese. Consequently, health messages delivered only in these languages may fail to…
Health workers are calling for expanded age-appropriate sexuality education for girls, saying it could help reduce the high number of unsafe abortions reported in Uganda. Speaking at a Media Café organized by the Health Journalists Network Uganda (HEJNU), Joyce Najjemba, a nursing officer at Mulago Specialised Women and Neonatal Hospital, said the hospital’s emergency department…
The Ministry of Health said Friday that demand for Lenacapavir, a long-acting HIV prevention injection launched in Uganda in April, is exceeding available supplies, with men accounting for a growing share of those seeking the drug. Speaking at a meeting attended by HIV advocates, researchers and policymakers, Dr. Herbert Kadama, the ministry’s coordinator for Pre-Exposure…
As Uganda intensifies border surveillance and security measures to prevent the spread of Ebola from the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), allegations have emerged that some Congolese nationals are bribing security personnel to gain entry into the country. The more than 1,000-kilometer border between Uganda and the DRC, stretching from Koboko to Kisoro, is dotted…
Cryptocurrency company Binance has pledged $250,000 to support efforts to contain the ongoing Ebola outbreak in Uganda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). The funding will be shared equally between the Uganda Red Cross Society and Doctors Without Borders, also known as Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), to support emergency response activities in affected…
Seychelles and Eritrea have become the first countries in Africa to adopt Abbott’s integrated Determine™ Antenatal Care (ANC) Panel, a rapid screening tool designed to support the elimination of mother-to-child transmission of HIV, syphilis and hepatitis B. The move marks an important step towards achieving the World Health Organization’s (WHO) triple elimination targets and addressing…
In his first presidential address on the Ebola situation in Uganda, President Y Museveni urged pastors to avoid body contact during prayers. He warned that medical staff and pastors have died most in the neighboring DRC where more than ninety have so far been confirmed dead due to the viral hemorrhagic disease. “ God is…
The government has pledged to review the National Education and Training for Health Policy following widespread concerns over a controversial provision proposing the removal of allowances for medical interns, a move critics say could severely disrupt Uganda’s public healthcare system. This follows strong objections from the Leader of the Opposition, Joel Ssenyonyi, who warned that…