Authorities in Moroto district are sounding the alarm over a surge in teenage pregnancies, driven by crippling poverty and hunger that have left young girls vulnerable to sexual exploitation. In the sub-counties of Tapac, Katikekile, Nadunget, and even within Moroto municipality, the number of child mothers is rising at an alarming rate. Girls as young…
Kasese District is grappling with a measles-rubella outbreak as resource shortages hinder vaccination efforts and community awareness campaigns. At the end of last month, the district confirmed three positive rubella cases, but health officials report no current hospital admissions. The district’s response is heavily constrained due to the suspension of USAID-supported health programs, which previously…
Pajule Health Center IV in Pader District is struggling to provide adequate maternal health services due to a severe shortage of delivery beds, forcing expectant mothers to give birth on the floor. Serving over 200,000 people, the facility handles an average of seven deliveries daily under extreme resource constraints. Dr. Denis Ocaya, the in-charge of…
Health workers in Kikuube District are raising alarms over the rising HIV/AIDS prevalence among fishing communities along the shores of Lake Albert, particularly at Kyehoro Landing Site in Kabwoya Sub-county. According to Kyehoro Health Center III, the HIV prevalence rate at the landing site stands at 7%, significantly higher than the national average of 5.1%.…
The Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Health, Dr. Diana Atwine, has defended the destruction of expired medical supplies worth UGX 316.7 billion, following revelations from the Auditor General’s 2023/24 report. The destroyed supplies included COVID-19 vaccines, antiretroviral drugs (ARVs), testing kits, and other essential medicines. According to Auditor General Edward Akol, this marked a…
Reproductive Health Uganda has welcomed the enactment of the Sexual Offences Bill 2024, emphasizing that it expands accountability for sexual harassment beyond employers to include employees. Unlike existing laws, which primarily hold employers responsible, the new legislation criminalizes sexual harassment at all levels, ensuring that both employers and employees can be held liable. Speaking before…
Mbale Regional Referral Hospital has received a state-of-the-art mobile laboratory worth over $50 million from the Russian government to enhance testing capabilities for Ebola and other infectious diseases. Daniel Mwayafu, the Acting Director of the hospital, confirmed the development on Thursday, noting that the Ministry of Health deployed the facility in response to the recent…
The Ministry of Health (MOH) has downplayed the pay demands from health workers involved in the treatment of individuals infected during the 2022 Sudan Ebola virus disease outbreak. The outbreak, which originated in Mubende District, spread to neighboring districts, causing widespread concern. The health workers, under their umbrella organization, the Uganda Medical Association, have expressed…
Acting in the right place at the right time is the key to effective medical treatment with minimal side effects. However, this feat remains difficult to achieve. Biologists and chemists at the University of Geneva (UNIGE) have succeeded in developing a tool that controls the location at which a molecule is activated by a simple…
Uganda today discharged eight patients who had been receiving treatment for Sudan virus disease—a member of the Ebola virus family—marking a significant milestone in the country’s response to the outbreak. The recovered patients had been treated at Mulago National Referral Hospital in Kampala and Mbale Regional Referral Hospital. However, health authorities caution that the outbreak…