Mental health challenges are increasing in Kasese District, with young people and adolescents emerging as the most affected group. Local stakeholders attribute the growing crisis to early pregnancies, domestic violence, drug abuse, and negative peer influence, particularly in schools. Health workers, educators, and law enforcement officers are calling for urgent, coordinated action to reverse the…

Fort Portal Regional Referral Hospital is struggling to cope with a surge in mental health cases as the number of patients seeking care exceeds the facility’s capacity. According to Dr. Archbald Newton Bahizi Sebahire, the hospital director, the Mental Health Unit—originally designed for 40 patients—now accommodates more than 50, forcing some to sleep on the…

In the dimly lit maternity ward of Pajule Health Centre IV in Pader District — a district without a single hospital — one metal bed carries the burden of an entire community. Every day, women crowd into the narrow room; some lie on thin plastic sheets, others crouch on the floor, waiting for their turn…

Health experts and workers are raising alarm over increasing mental health challenges in Kampala’s densely populated neighborhoods, largely linked to poor living conditions and unemployment. The problem is most acute among young people living in the city’s informal settlements. According to Habitat for Humanity, about 60 percent of Kampala residents live in informal settlements, and…

Malaria continues to pose a major threat in Katakwi and Kapelebyong districts, despite government efforts to distribute treated mosquito nets nationwide as a preventive measure. According to Christine Atim, Assistant Health Officer for Katakwi District, malaria remains the leading cause of illness in the area, with nearly half of all patients visiting health facilities testing…

Uganda has joined the rest of the world to mark International Sepsis Day, highlighting the silent but deadly condition that kills millions globally each year. Sepsis, sometimes called blood poisoning, occurs when the body responds dangerously to an infection—whether bacterial, viral, or malaria-causing parasites—by damaging its own tissues and organs. Without urgent treatment, it can…

The absence of open discussions about sexuality is the major cause of the high rate of early pregnancies in Uganda, according to Youth MP and State Minister for Mineral Development, Phiona Nyamutoro. “We have for too long feared and ignored talking about matters of sexual rights, and it is probably not too far to assume…

The Alur King, Phillips Olarker Rauni III, has introduced new by-laws granting additional powers to clan chiefs to monitor and cross-check antenatal visit records of expectant mothers within their jurisdictions. According to kingdom officials, the health development plan will be launched during the King’s 15th coronation anniversary later this year. Under the plan, clan heads…

For most employees, being caught dozing on the job would be a fireable offense, a clear sign of a lack of seriousness. But for a young Moses Laliza, then a teenage gatekeeper, it was the moment his life began to change, thanks to a supervisor who saw potential instead of a problem. Laliza’s journey began…

A health official in northern Uganda has raised alarm over a rise in epilepsy cases among adults, linking the trend to heavy alcohol consumption. Records from Kitgum General Hospital’s mental health unit show the district has registered more than 2,600 epilepsy cases. While childhood illnesses such as severe malaria and untreated febrile convulsions remain common…

Leaders in Luwero District are raising the alarm over what they call a dangerously high rate of teenage pregnancy after a new report revealed that 4,811 girls under the age of 19 became pregnant in the last financial year. The 2024/25 district health report, based on first antenatal care visits, showed that 44 of the…

When it comes to triggering immunity against the leading cause of cervical cancer – HPV – timing matters. 19 September 2025 by Linda Geddes A girl receiving her HPV vaccination from a health worker in Mongolia. Credit: Gavi/2024/Khasar Sandag. HPV vaccine explained: why it’s given before adulthood HPV is highly infectious and predominantly spread through…

Health officials in northern Uganda are launching a new investigation to test nodding syndrome patients for the parasite that causes river blindness, in a renewed effort to understand the link between the two conditions. The scientific push comes amid a care crisis, as a recently established center for nodding syndrome patients has been forced to…

The founder of Dei BioPharma has announced the company is seeking $130 million from investors to complete a $1.1 billion investment plan for manufacturing key drugs for non-communicable diseases like cancer, heart disease, and acute kidney failure. Speaking to delegates from the Africa Center for Disease Control (Africa CDC) at the company’s 150-acre facility, founder…

As the dust settled at the end of a long August day, Dr. Achan sat at her desk in the Moroto District Health Office, the screen of her laptop glowing in the twilight. The latest edition of the “KARAMOJA PUBLIC HEALTH EMERGENCY OPERATIONS CENTRE WEEKLY EPIDEMIOLOGICAL BULLETIN” had just arrived. For her, this wasn’t just…