Despite all the effort the government and its development partners have put in curbing malaria over the years, it remains the leading cause of death in Uganda according to a report by the Parliamentary Committee on Health in 2017.
As of June this year, the Ministry of Health has recorded over 1.4 million malaria cases, a big increase as compared to 1 million recorded in the same period of last year.
In a press conference today, Health Minister Dr Jane Ruth Acheng, attributed the malaria upsurge this year to the rainy season, as mosquitoes lay eggs on stagnant water that later grow into more mosquitoes to increase the spread of malaria.
Acheng also said that there is a reduced mosquito net ownership and use due to the aging of nets distributed by government in 2017/18, low malaria prevalence in areas such as Kampala, population growth and refugee immigration in specific regions.
Acheng said that the ministry and its partners has urged severely affected districts to order for emergency malaria drugs to ensure they are well stocked as well as redistributing mosquito nets to children and pregnant women in antenatal care clinics.
“Ministry of Health appeals to the general public to sleep under a mosquito net every night to avoid malaria, always seek early treatment from a nearest health center within 24 hours of onset of symptoms and take and complete your dosage of malaria medicine,” Acheng said.