Omoro stuck with food as nodding centre remains shut

In need. Nodding syndrome children at Aromowangolobo treatment centre in Omoro District last year. Photo by Julius Ocungi

Members of the Nodding Syndrome Task force in Omoro District are stuck with food and other items meant for children suffering from the condition following the closure of the treatment centre in March.
Aromowangolobo Nodding treatment centre in Odek Sub-county was closed after the land owners demanded scholarships for their children and assistance to engage in commercial agriculture.
At the time of the closure, 25 children had been admitted and a total of 220 would visit the facility for drug refills and food supplements.
Mr Peter Okello Okao, the district chairperson, said he would organise a meeting with the task force members on the next move.
“We want to give the food and non-food items to the children as we negotiate with the clan leaders of the land where the treatment centre should be located,’’ Mr Okao, also the chairperson of the task force, said.
He expressed fear that the food might get spoilt yet the beneficiaries are in need.
Mr Okao, however, said the land owners are cooperative on renegotiating the terms.
“Government has advised us to get a land valuer so that the facility is taken up by the district for further management of the children,’’ he said.
Mr Robert Ongom, the district health officer, said they have opted for outreaches to assess the children.
“The condition of the children is not good, many have deteriorated health wise compared to when the centre was operational,’’ he said.
Ms Agnes Olupot, a resident of Armowangolobo Village whose two children are suffering from nodding syndrome, called for speedy reopening of the centre, arguing that her children’s health is worrying.
“At times medical workers come when I am in the garden and I miss out on getting the drugs,’’ she said.
In April, a lead researcher on the mysterious Nodding Syndrome at the Ministry of Health defined onchocerca volvulus (OV) as a parasite responsible for the cause of nodding in children where several lives in Acholi Sub-region have been lost.
Dr Richard Idro said his team was able to identify OV, a parasite vectored by black fly, as the responsible parasite behind the nodding syndrome.

The research that kicked off in 2015 in the northern region where nodding syndrome is reported relied on data provided by global positioning systems to come to a conclusion.
“We found that the nodding syndrome is associated with Onchocerciasis, which is transmitted by Onchocerca Volvulus found in black flies.
In September 2018, a group of six scientists led by Ontario-based Prof Michael Pollanen and Uganda’s consultant pathologist, Dr Sylvester Onzivua, released a report linking the disease to taupathy, referring to a degenerative disease linked to deposition of insoluble proteins in the brain.
Nodding syndrome is a mysterious illness that affects the brain and central nervous system of children, primarily between the ages of five and 15.
The children nod off their heads coupled with seizures and in most cases they lose the contact of the surrounding environment.
An estimated 3,000 children mainly in Kitgum, Pader, Lamwo and Omoro districts were affected by Nodding Syndrome and 500 children have since lost their lives since 2009, when the illness first came to the limelight.

Assistance

In March last year, the Ministry of Finance released Shs1.4 billion for the victims of nodding syndrome in the northern region. Omoro received Shs170.7 million. The funds were meant for outreach interventions, referrals in severe cases and buying food supplements for the children.