Sironko District Woman Member of Parliament Asha Mafabi Nabulo has called on the government to strengthen malaria diagnosis and treatment in schools, warning that inadequate case management is contributing to rising malaria infections among learners.
Speaking during a plenary sitting of Parliament, Nabulo said malaria prevalence has increased compared to previous years, noting that schools account for a significant share of reported cases.
“I need to clarify that the prevalence is no longer 10 percent. Those were statistics of 2019, and it has actually increased,” she told Parliament.
Her remarks came as legislators debated Uganda’s malaria burden amid concerns over increasing infections and reports of deaths among school-going children linked to severe malaria and delayed treatment.
Nabulo said many malaria cases are reported in both primary and secondary schools, where treatment practices often fall short of recommended medical standards.
“Many of these malaria cases are actually in schools, secondary schools and primary schools. Like my colleague has mentioned, the treatment method is where the problem is,” she said.
She noted that some schools manage learners presenting with fever and headaches by administering painkillers such as Panadol without first conducting a malaria test, a practice she said delays appropriate treatment and increases the risk of severe illness.
Her concerns were echoed by other legislators, who called on the Ministries of Health and Education to improve malaria case management by equipping schools with functional sick bays, trained health personnel, and timely access to malaria diagnosis and treatment.
Parliament also heard that school-going children are a significant reservoir for malaria transmission because many carry malaria parasites without showing symptoms, increasing the risk of spreading the disease within communities.
Nabulo further suggested that individuals with blood group O positive may be more susceptible to mosquito bites and malaria. However, while some scientific studies have explored possible links between blood groups and malaria, there is no broad scientific consensus that people with O positive blood are inherently more prone to mosquito bites or malaria infection.
Uganda remains among the countries with the highest malaria burden globally. According to the Uganda Malaria Indicator Survey 2024–2025, malaria parasite prevalence among children aged six to 59 months increased to approximately 21 percent, up from 9 percent recorded in the 2018–2019 survey, highlighting the country’s growing malaria challenge.
Health experts have consistently warned that delayed diagnosis, inadequate treatment, and poor health-seeking behaviour continue to drive severe malaria cases and preventable deaths, particularly among children and adolescents.
The legislators called for stronger collaboration between the health and education sectors to ensure schools are equipped to identify malaria cases early, provide prompt treatment, and reduce the disease’s impact on learners.
