Maternal Deaths See Significant Decline

KAMPALA — The Ministry of Health has released its epidemiological report for Week 14 of 2026, highlighting a newly detected incident of human Anthrax in the Kitagwenda district of the Rwenzori region.

This development comes amidst a week of mixed health outcomes, including a sharp decrease in maternal and perinatal deaths across the country.

The surveillance team identified the Anthrax incident through its Event Based Surveillance (EBS) system, which processed 73 signals during the week. This brings the cumulative total of positive human Anthrax samples to 18 for the year, with cases concentrated in districts such as Kazo (10), Lyantonde (3), and Kitagwenda (3).

In addition to Anthrax, several districts remain under a Measles alert. New cases were reported in Lira (5 cases) and Kween (3 cases) within the last seven days, contributing to a broader national effort to contain the virus in regions like Kaabong and Adjumani, where deaths have previously been recorded.

Meanwhile, the Monkeypox (Mpox) outbreak continues to be monitored, with a cumulative 8,001 cases and 52 deaths reported since the activation of the emergency response in July 2024.

There was a notable improvement in maternal health outcomes this week. The Ministry reported 02 maternal deaths, representing a significant decrease of 13 deaths compared to the 15 recorded in Week 13. The two deaths occurred at Apac General Hospital and Mulago SWN Hospital. The cumulative number of maternal deaths for 2026 now stands at 197.

Similarly, perinatal deaths dropped to 166, down from 305 the previous week. Of these, 97 were early neonatal deaths, 57 were fresh stillbirths, and 87 were macerated stillbirths. Despite the weekly decline, the national burden remains high, with 4,247 cumulative perinatal deaths recorded so far this year.

Malaria remains a primary health concern, with 120,843 confirmed cases and 06 deaths reported in Week 14. The national test positivity rate (TPR) is 30.5%, though some areas are seeing much higher concentrations. The top three districts with the highest positivity rates are Amuru (58.4%), Pader (55.3%), and Lira (53.5%). Health officials noted that 17 districts currently have inadequate stocks of Artemisinin-based Combination Therapy (ACT).

Regarding respiratory illnesses, SARS-CoV-2 was the most prevalent viral cause of Influenza-Like Illness (ILI) and Severe Acute Respiratory Infection (SARI) during the preceding week, circulating at a rate of 15.15%.

While the average national reporting rate for notifiable conditions is 86.89%, the Ministry is pushing for better data quality. Currently, both reporting completeness and timeliness stand at 65.49%, falling short of the 80% national target. Only three of the fifteen regions met the 80% goal for timeliness and completeness. Several districts, including Agago, Busia, and Jinja, achieved perfect 100% reporting scores, while others like Ntoroko reported 0%.