Health

Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | 10 per cent of the drug regimens in the country have substandard or counterfeit copies of them sold on the market, according to the National Drug Authority. Although they appear indistinguishable, the fake brands are mixed with other chemicals changing their chemical composition and …

Ancient fireside gatherings could tackle stigma | BONNIE FOURNIER | For 25 years, northern Uganda was devastated by civil war. During this time the area’s residents, many of whom belong to the Acholi people, were forced from their homes. They ended up living in internally displaced camps, relying on the …

Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Cabinet has approved the National Health Insurance Scheme Bill.  The decision was reached at a Uganda Government Cabinet meeting at State House Entebbe on Monday 24th, 2019. According to Sarah Byakika, the Commissioner Planning, Financing and Policy in the Health Ministry, the scheme is …

  Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Uganda Cancer Institute plans to train 200 health workers in the next five years to manage cancer treatment. This will bring the number of health care workers to 400. The health workers will be trained in proper diagnosis of different types of cancers …

Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | 456 people have been vaccinated against Ebola using the Ebola rVsV that has proved to be 97 percent effective in protecting people against the deadly disease. The vaccine being used is produced by Merck Pharmaceuticals. Those vaccinated are believed to have been in contact …

Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | 27,000 people in the country do not access cancer treatment in Uganda. This is according the Uganda Cancer Institute. According to doctors at the cancer institute, the number of patients that receive treatment at the facility is much lower than the number that does …

Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Traders in Busia District are using non-gazetted routes to enter Kenya to avoid the on-going Ebola screening exercise at the border. This comes after officials at the Kenyan border started an Ebola screening process to all travellers entering the country following Ebola cases in Kasese …

Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Civil Society Organizations from over 25 countries have called for governments in Africa to integrate treatment and prevention programmes for Hepatitis into other health programmes like HIV/AIDS and tuberculosis that are proving to be a success. They pointed out that Prevention of Mother to Child …

Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Less than 20 per cent of suffers of sickle cell anaemia can access the ‘magic’ drug – hydroxyurea. Hydroxyurea, a myelosuppressive agent, is the only effective drug proven to reduce the frequency of painful episodes and the need for blood transfusions, among persons living with …

A new study offers new hope | Andrew Nunn and I.D. Rusen | Tuberculosis (TB) is the leading cause of death in the world from a single infectious disease, causing more deaths than HIV/AIDS. In 2017, 10 million people developed TB disease globally and an estimated 1.6 million died. One …