Cholera outbreak: Can govt do more through low income urban housing developments?

Victoria Nyeko

What you need to know:

Taken a back seat. Unfortunately, government may have become complacent and cholera outbreaks are no longer alarming as poverty rates increase and cholera outbreaks continue.

Recently, cholera outbreak was reported in the media with increasing panic in Naguru, a Kampala suburb where some patients escaped from a nearby government hospital. The Minister of State for Primary Health Care, Sarah Opendi confirmed the cholera outbreak saying, “It is confirmed and four people were admitted at Naguru hospital, the patients are from Makindye Division in Kampala”.
According to Maria Aliddeki Field epidemiology fellow in the Ministry of Health, cholera is an acute diarrhoeal disease caused by eating food or drinking water that is contaminated by human faeces.
The World Health Organisation (WHO), says cholera is caused by a gram-negative bacterium, vibrio cholera usually transmitted through contaminated water or food in areas with poor sanitation, lacking clean drinking water.

Cholera is commonly referred to as a disease affecting the most vulnerable in society, particularly in low development, poverty-stricken areas without basic housing infrastructure and poor sanitation facilities. Ordinary camps for displaced persons where minimum requirements of clean water and sanitation are not met would be fertile ground for cholera outbreaks.

In Uganda, cholera outbreaks normally start out in distant areas like refugee camps, quickly moving on to affect areas within Kampala with poor sanitation. Although government could do more to fight cholera outbreaks through vigorous consistent mass media campaigns, community sensitisation and mobilisation on best hygiene practices, some people feel frustrated that government has failed to provide for the growing number of low income urban dwellers left with non-existent housing facilities, and no planned improvements on sanitation facilities in Kampala.

In 2018, starting in early February, there were several cases of cholera outbreaks reported in many districts including Busia, Manafwa, Sironko, Bulambuli, Mbale, and Butaleja, recording several deaths and more than 200 people affected. A mass vaccination campaign was carried out by government for more than 360, 000 people in different hotspot areas including Hoima District where cholera outbreak was first confirmed among the refugees from Democratic Republic of Congo.

According to WHO, eventually the outbreak in Hoima killed more than 40 people. There were at least 2,119 suspected and confirmed infected people. The assumption is that since these are all upcountry districts, housing and basic sanitation facilities are ordinarily lacking and during rainy seasons the risk of cholera outbreaks would automatically increase.
However, in Kampala City, the story should be different given that government would have planned and implemented improved basic housing, better sanitation facilities for the growing urban population as per Uganda’s Vision 2040 and the National Development Plan (NDP).

In Uganda’s Vision 2040, clear strategies are articulated in government’s plans for enabling Ugandans to enjoy high quality standards of living by focusing on improving the quality of the country’s population, health and nutrition status, literacy and numeracy, housing, water and sanitation conditions for the citizenry.
Unfortunately, government may have become complacent and cholera outbreaks are no longer alarming as poverty rates increase and cholera out breaks continue in parts of Ssembabule Zone, Makindye, Nakawa and Rubaga Divisions.

Residents of Ssembabule Zone blame the cholera outbreak on failure by Kampala City Council Authority (KCCA) to monitor hygiene and sanitation, forcing residents to sleep with the garbage in houses or dumping it in drainage channels since many do not have pitlatrines. In Uganda, it seems the role and responsibility of building low cost housing has been neglected by government.
Landlords are exploiting the gap by providing makeshift substandard housing which is instead providing conducive environments for promoting cholera outbreaks. This will become indefinite if government does not take interest in low cost housing development plans for urban dwellers.