Gulu District Health Officials have warned that guests at funeral events and farmers who practice shifting cultivation are the most at risk of catching malaria
Health officials say despite reports that the malaria epidemic has hit the district, families have continued to conduct funeral rites for their departed ones.
The acting Gulu District Health Officer (DHO) Dr. Robert Ongom noted that sleeping in an open place exposes one to mosquito bites.
Dr. Ongom explained that, “Majority of those at risk stay up late in poorly light areas and can easily get bitten by anopheles mosquito leading to infection.”
There are also reports that farmers especially in Ongako Sub County are sleeping near their gardens in the open in makeshift houses without using insecticide treated mosquito nets.
Ms Jessica Atim, a trainee nurse at Lalogi Health Centre IV, says the current problem is being aggravated by a common myth among families who have received insecticide treated mosquito nets that one should only use the nets when they sleep on a modern bed with a mattress.
According to Atim, because majority of families sleep on locally made papyrus mats and animal skin, they rarely use mosquito net as one of the preventive measures against mosquito bites.
Mr Denis Oyet, a member of Village Health Team (VHT) at Ayom village in Jyaka parish says each week, he receives seven cases of malaria which are referred to nearby health facilities in the area.
“The most affected categories are children between zero month and seven years,” Oyet noted.
The District Council Speaker, Mr Douglas Peter Okello says they will not stop pushing the government to reintroduce the indoor residual spray despite the government’s argument that the exercise is too expensive.
Okello noted that the epidemic is putting the lives of expectant mothers, children under 5 and productive farmers at risk.
The latest figure released by the District Health Department early last week indicates that since April this year, at least 76, 904 patients have been diagnosed with malaria at different health facilities.
At the same period, a total of 3,698 were admitted with severe malaria with 62 cases of deaths recorded.
The report indicates that every week, there are up to 11, 000 patients who seek treatment at the health facilities.
With the current trend, a single health worker is handling more malaria patients, 12 times more than what they were handling before the epidemic was reported.
Gulu district health department has also raised fear that health facilities may run out of blood supplies due to the growing demand from health facilities in the malaria affected region.
Gulu Regional Blood Bank currently serves at least 32 health facilities across the Acholi, Lango and west Nile sub regions including major hospitals such as St. Mary’s Hospital Lacor, Gulu Regional Referral Hospital, Gulu 4th Division Army Hospital and Kiryandongo Hospital among others.
