Government starts door-to-door cholera treatment in Kampala

Government has embarked on a door-to-door campaign to treat and curb the spread of cholera in various parts of Kampala, the State Minister for Health, Hon. Dr Joyce Moriku Kaducu, has said.

Dr. Kaducu, who presented a Statement about the cholera outbreak to Parliament, said the epidemic was spreading due to poor hygiene in communities.

“Medical Officers in Makindye and Rubaga [divisions of Kampala] are on a door to door sensitization, prevention and search of suspected patients, treating them and asking them to seek further medical treatment,” said Dr. Kaducu.

The Minister made the statement on Wednesday, 9 January 2019 following the resumption of parliament after the Christmas and New Year recess. The sitting was chaired by the Deputy Speaker, Jacob Oulanyah.

Dr. Kaducu told Parliament that the Ministry had also taken steps to reduce the spread of the disease including the creation of an isolation treatment centre at the Naguru China-Uganda Cooperation Hospital where suspected and confirmed patients were getting medication. She also said the Ministry was restocking cholera medicines in Naguru and Kiruddu hospitals.

She explained that the current outbreak of Cholera was attributed to fecal contamination of the environment since the affected community and households built close to waste drainage channels with inadequate latrine facilities and unhygienic household conditions.

Hon. James Waluswaka (NRM, Bunyole West) said many lives have already been lost following the outbreak adding that the situation has been exacerbated by congestion in the city.

The Minister of State for Kampala Capital City, Hon. Benny Namugwanya appealed for an increased budget to facilitate better sanitation in Kampala so as to curb the outbreak of such diseases in the country.

“We need more funding to improve the sanitation in the city. The population in the city centres has increased due to rural-urban migration,” Namugwanya said adding that “In the City Centre, for example, we have only 11 toilets used by the public. These are not enough.”