Malaria cases soar in Bukedi as residents misuse mosquito nets

PALLISA – Despite several interventions by government and other stakeholders to combat malaria in Bukedi Sub-region through the distribution of mosquito nets, the number of people reporting at medical facilities with the disease is worrying the authorities.

The findings come as a shocker owing to the fact that the government has repeatedly distributed mosquito nets in addition to Indoor Residual Spraying [IRS] which involves application of insecticides inside the houses.

Bukedi Sub-region is surrounded by swamps and rivers that act as breeding grounds for mosquitoes.

Some locals are using the insecticide-treated mosquito nets in the construction of poultry structures, gardens while others are using them for making ropes to tether their animals in the region.

According to the authorities, high cases of malaria were registered in the districts of Butaleja, Budaka, Busia, Kibuku, Pallisa, Butebo, and Tororo, which make up Bukedi Sub-region.

Dr. Godfrey Buyinza, the Kibuku District Health Officer, says malaria cases in the region have since last year been on the rise.

“The situation is worrying in our district and if we had powers as a district, we would have declared an epidemic,” Buyinza said.

Records from Kibuku Health Office indicate that in Kibuku District at least 40 percent of the patients who show up at health facilities test positive for malaria. In January this year, for instance, the district registered 13,056 cases while 9925 cases were recorded in February, 2022.

Rashid Simiyu, a medical officer at Kibuku Health Centre IV, said malaria cases in the district have since last year been on the rise.

“Out of 10 people who visit the facility five have malaria and that is a high number. The interventions to fight malaria are not working,” Simiyu said.

He also attributes the rising numbers of malaria infections in the district to residents refusing to sleep under insecticide-treated mosquito nets.

“Government has distributed mosquito nets but people are not sleeping in the nets and human activities in the swamps are also contributing to the increase,” he said.

He said the victims of malaria in the district are children who are already malnourished and pregnant mothers.

“Children and pregnant mothers can’t stand malaria because Malaria consumes blood very fast and yet most children in the district are already malnourished. We now have a shortage of blood,” he said.

Simiyu said the increasing cases of malaria have also hit the supply of blood in the health facilities.

In Pallisa district records show that malaria cases stand at 45 percent.

This means that out of every hundred clients who visit health facilities in the district,45 percent test positive for malaria.

Topi Amusugut, the Budaka District Malaria Focal Person confirmed the upsurge of malaria cases in the district.

Butaleja district has also registered a surge in Malaria cases since last year.

According to the records, Butaleja district recorded 106,186 cases of malaria between the months of October and December 2021 compared to 32,973 recorded from January to March in the same year.

The Butaleja District Health Inspector, Henry Isongoli, said they have an outbreak of malaria in the district.

“We attribute the increase of malaria to lack of awareness, misuse of nets, Poverty, negative attitude to government programs whereby some people are against IRS,” Isongoli said, adding that people should take precautions to protect themselves.

He added that community members have abused the use of mosquito nets, which explains the rise in infections.

Dr. Siraji Kizito, the Butaleja District Health officer [DHO], says seven out of every 10 patients visiting health facilities across the district with fever test positive for malaria.

“Malaria cases are common among children under five years and pregnant mothers. Some patients delay getting treatment from health facilities,” Dr.  Kizito said.

He said some children developed severe anaemia and present with symptoms of hematuria where children urinate blood and eventually die.

Kizito, said there is an upsurge of malaria cases in the district.

“Malaria has increased for the previous three months affecting children and pregnant mothers,” he said, adding that people get several complications after getting malaria.

Tororo DHO, Dr. Okoth Obbo, says 56 percent of outpatient department treatment [OPD] attendance is due to malaria.

“We receive over 1000 people diagnosed with malaria in all health facilities in the district per day. We have a very high prevalence of malaria in the district. People are not using the nets for the main purpose and they are not getting treatment on time,” Dr. Oboth said.

He also said some locals neither cover ditches nor slash bushes around their homes, which act as breeding grounds for mosquitoes.

Dr. Oboth said some residents are using the nets to trap white ants, fish and shielding their gardens against domestic birds.

Oboth said the high malaria numbers were leading to an increase in anemia among children and expectant mothers.

According to the Health Ministry, Uganda registers at least 16 malaria deaths per day with 25,000 cases.

Every year, more than 400,000 people die of malaria and 94 percent of these deaths occur in the African region, according to World Health Organisation [WHO].

Children under five years are the most vulnerable group, accounting for 67 percent of deaths.

Ahmed Kungu, a resident in Kibuku town council, said most people don’t have beds, so it’s becoming a problem to use the nets.

“Sometimes we use the mosquito nets in the gardens because they have since become old. The nets we use for construction of poultry houses are old, you cannot sleep under old mosquito nets,” Kungu said.

Margaret Mwanamoiza, the Kibuku Resident District Commissioner, said they have embarked on a sensitisation drive in the community.

“We have received a number of malaria drugs and we are distributing mosquito nets as a way to fight malaria in the district,” Mwanamoiza said.

She said according to the report every 10 Pregnant mother six have malaria.

Mwanamoiza, said the district is giving out mosquito nets to each person who tests for malaria.

“Each Pregnant mother who goes for antenatal at any health facility in the district receives a net. We are moving house to house to spray houses,” She said.

Annet Nakirya, a resident, said the misuse of treated mosquito nets had become rampant.

“When it rains, you find residents using the nets to trap white ants instead of using them as directed by the ministry of health,” Nakirya said.

According to WHO report, Uganda accounts for 4 percent of malaria cases in the whole world.

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