Rotarians commit to fight polio, malnutrition

MUKONO - Rotarians from Rotary Club of Kampala Maisha are committed to fighting polio, malnutrition and non-communicable diseases (NCDs) in the country. 

According to Martha Uwera, the polio officer at the Rotary Club of Kampala Maisha, there is a need to scale up immunisation exercise across the country for children under the age of 5 years. 

She argued that although Uganda had eradicated polio disease the recent outbreak in Mbale city is worrying. 

The Government confirmed a polio outbreak on June 1, 2024, after detecting the poliovirus in Mbale City's Doko environmental sewerage system.

The virus was a circulating Derived Polio Virus type 2 (cVDPV2) that was genetically linked to a similar virus detected in Kenya's Garissa Province. 

Polio is a highly infectious disease that can cause paralysis or death.

"As Rotarians, we are committed to ensuring that communities are sensitised about the dangers of polio disease and we conduct immunization exercises for newly born babies and children under the age of 5 years," Uwera said. 

She made remarks during the annual medical camp at Kojja Health Centre IV in Ntejeru, Mukono district on November 2, 2024.

A medic Albert Justin attends to a patient (Jessica Namutono) with eye problems using an AR machine during a health camp at Kojja Health Centre IV in Mukono district on November 2, 2024. (Credit: Francis Emorut)

The exercise was organised by the Rotary Club of Kampala Maisha in partnership with Nsambya Hospital, I National Social Security Fund, FINCA, ASG Eye Hospital and Eloim Ministries. 

She appealed to parents to ensure that they embrace the exercise of immunisation for children under the age of 5 years. 

The president of Rotary Club of Kampala Maisha Emmanuel Wori said Rotarians were supplementing the government's efforts of providing healthcare for all. 

He pointed out that with most health facilities grappling with drug stockouts, they (Rotarians) mobilize resources to bridge the gap. 

Over 300 patients were treated for different ailments among them hypertension, urinary tract infection, arthritis, malaria, cough, diabetes, skin infection and others. 

About malnutrition, Rotarian Alice Nakibuule, the country director of Eternal Life Organisation International Ministries, there is a need to fight malnutrition, especially among children and women. 

She said malnutrition threatens to destroy a generation of children in Uganda.
 
According to the Uganda Demographic Survey report of 2018, more than one-third of all young children – 2.4 million are stunted.

Nakibuule pointed out that the damage caused by stunting is irreversible and therefore, need for sensitisation of the masses to embrace good nutrition habits/healthy diets. 

Whether poor or wealthy, children are malnourished for similar reasons. Women tend to get pregnant when young and have low birth-weight babies, which predisposes children to malnutrition.

Repeated childhood infections such as diarrhoea and low breastfeeding rates also lead to wasting and stunting.

According to a UNICEF report between 2013 and 2015, it is estimated that more than 500,000 young Ugandan children died. Of these deaths, nearly half were associated with undernutrition. Undernutrition is responsible for four in 10 deaths of children under five. 

A health worker Hildah Nakibuka attends to patients waiting for drugs during a medical health camp at Kojja Health Centre IV in Mukono district on November 2, 2024. (Credit: Francis Emorut)

The 2012 study, Cost of Hunger in Uganda, estimated the health cost of children’s undernutrition-related illnesses (for those under five) to be more than sh 525 billion, most of which was used for treating undernutrition and associated illnesses.

Data available from Uganda Bureau of Statistics 2009 report indicates that undernutrition costs the Uganda government sh1.8 trillion, an equivalent of 5.6% of its GDP annually. 

The combined effects of malnutrition on health care costs and education — due to grade repetition and reduction in productivity — trap families in a vicious cycle of poverty.

Esther Nabulya a nutritionist sensitised the patients who had turned up for medical health camp to ensure that they eat a balance diet especially for children to avoid stunting. 

During the health camp, health workers also conducted eye checkups, HIV testing and counselling.

What others said

Dr Abubaker Kawuba, medical officer of Kojja Health IV said the Ratarians' gestures of providing health care to the Mukono residents were welcome and appealed that it should be conducted frequently and not once in a year. 

Dr Dickson Amanyire of Nsambya Hospital observed the patients he attended to especially the elderly were more hit by arthritis, high blood pressure, and diabetes diseases while the prevalent cases were urinary tract infections.

Phiona Matsiko, a counselor said she found that some children had escaped from their homes to come to explain their challenges after fearing to talk to their parents.
She stressed the need for parents to attend to their children to avoid the effects of mental health. 

During the health camp exercise children were among those who waited to be attended to and a student from Kojja Secondary School Nasser Kayo was selling fruits to the patients to raise money for his school fees.