Residents of Aromo Wang Lobo in Odek Sub County, Gulu district have resorted to using local herbs to treat their nodding disease stricken children, citing the ineffectiveness of the drugs distributed by health centres in the Sub County.

According to municipal officials, only one school in Odek has recorded over 146 new cases, 11 deaths and over seven mental illnesses as a result of the disease.

During a visit by Gulu district officials to the Sub County last Monday, parents of the affected children noted that they have resorted to using local herbs to stop their children nodding as the health centre drugs don’t offer any significant improvement.

“Since we started using local herbs there has been a slight difference among our children even though its severity remains the same,” said Martin Ogwang a parent to a nodding disease patient.

Odek Sub County LC3 Chairman Mr Adebe Ocaya in an interview told Acholi Times that the practice of using local herbs is widespread among the affected families, and they as officials are trying to discouraging it.

“We have called for a meeting this Friday with parents, district officials and technical people where we hope to address such acts as we wait for a response from the health Ministry,” said Mr Ocaya.

He said that his Sub County is severely affected as it borders Pader district which has notably high infection figures estimated at 2000, with at least 200 recorded deaths.

Gulu LCV Chairman Mr Martin Ojara Mapenduzi speaking to journalists on Tuesday at his offices confirmed the outbreak in Gulu district and noted that the failure by government to intervene in the nodding disease epidemic in the district is partly the contributing factor in parents’ seeking other alternatives.

“Government thinks that the nodding disease problem is only in Pader, Kitgum, Agago and Lamwo leaving out some districts of Acholi Sub Region that are also severely affected by the disease, it shows a lack of planning” said Mr Mapenduzi.

He added that the severity of the disease is shocking and that some of the pupils they met at Aromo Wang Lobo Primary School told them that they initially started seeing children infected by the nodding disease as early 2006 when communities were still confined to camps.

Mr Mapenduzi observed that, “It has become impossible for parents to believe that taking their affected children to the hospital will bring any change and that’s why they have resorted to using local herbs.”

He showed dissatisfaction in the way village health teams are handling the severity of the disease which is pushing parents to seek alternative methods of treating their children.

“Some health centres in Odek don’t have any written report on the status of the nodding disease and this shows the level of unseriousness from our health personalities on the ground that I believe prompts parents to go for local herbs,” he said.

In a bid to control the disease, the Government with support from the World Health Organization and other partners, says that it has adopted a multi-sectoral approach that will help to respond to the Nodding Syndrome.