Severe malaria ravages Kibuku district
By Mudangha Kolyanga & Fred Wambede
Local leaders and health officials in Kibuku district have expressed concern over the increasing cases of severe malaria.
Statistics from the district health department indicate children’s death rate from the disease stands at 2 to 3 at the health facilities while in communities it stands at 4 to 6 per week.
The District Health Officer, Dr. Godfrey Buyinza tells KFM that they have written to the Ministry of Health seeking urgent intervention.
He says the district registers between 4600-7000 cases of malaria per week and the positivity rate is between 60-80%.
Dr. Buyinza attributes the sudden increase in the number of malaria deaths to delayed visits to health facilities and shortage of blood in the district.
“We receive between 35-50 units of blood per week but because of the prevailing situation the blood units cannot sustain,” he said.
The Secretary for Health and Education, Mr. Augustine Moleka Majanga, says a suspected strange disease killing children is spreading fast.
“The situation generally is not-so-good because the district is on a daily basis getting reports of children dying. It’s now becoming common in almost every sub-county,” Mr. Majanga said.
He says the health department has communicated to the ministry urging them to collect some samples for further investigation.