Step up efforts to fight malaria
A VHTs member showcase on how to go about with mosquito net during community sensitization on its usage on March 17, 2025. Photo | Patrick Okaba.
What you need to know:
- We call upon the government to set up efforts to educate people about the importance of sleeping under mosquito nets using both traditional and new media.
Last week, health officials in Kasese District expressed concern over high malaria prevalence in the district (see Daily Monitor, March 2025, Concern as malaria cases overwhelm Kasese hospitals).
The Kasese District Health Officer, Dr Amon Bwambale, said that of the 40,000 patients treated at various health facilities in the December to February quarter, 40 percent were diagnosed with malaria. The most affected age group were children under the age of five.
Unfortunately, what is happening in Kasese District is not an isolated case. The disease continues to wreak havoc in the whole country, claiming lives. Malaria is a leading cause of death in Uganda, with most of the victims being children under the age of five.
According to the Ministry of Health statistics, out of every 10 sick people in Uganda, three have malaria. Out of every 10 children below five years old admitted to the hospital, six have malaria and may die.
The statistics from the ministry also state that for every 100 pregnant women, 20 have malaria and risk losing their babies and even their own lives.
The 2024 World Malaria Report of the World Health Organisation (WHO) estimated that there were 15,945 malaria deaths in Uganda in 2023.
The report also stated that 12 million cases of malaria infections was recorded in the same year.
The government and its development partners have launched several programmes to fight the malaria scourge, such as indoor residual spraying and distribution of mosquito nets.
However, these remedies have had limited success due to factors such as shortage of funds and resistance from misguided locals who claim that indoor residual spraying poses a danger to their health.
The government should provide more funds for the fight against malaria and also do more to reassure people that indoor residual spraying is a safe procedure approved by WHO and carried out by trained people.
Some locals are also reluctant to sleep under mosquito nets that government distributes free of charge. Misguided locals use mosquito nets to fish, trap white ants and build shelters for their poultry, among others.
We call upon the government to set up efforts to educate people about the importance of sleeping under mosquito nets using both traditional and new media.
The Ministry of Health is expected to roll out a malaria vaccination programme in April. This is a step in the right direction, but given previous cases of resistance to vaccinations, the government should ensure that thorough senistisation is conducted.
