Kampala, Uganda | URN | For many, stares and whispers of a crowded city are a source of discomfort. For Ugandan pediatrician Judith Namuyonga, they were a masterclass in empathy. Speaking at the World Down Syndrome Day celebrations in Buikwe District on Saturday, Dr. Namuyonga, a Senior Consultant Pediatrician and …
Read More »Soroti intensifies fight against HIV
Soroti, Uganda | URN | A new multi-agency initiative to curb rising HIV/AIDS infections has been launched in Soroti City, targeting adolescents and young people amid growing concern over high transmission rates in the area. The intervention, spearheaded by the Ministry of Health, the Uganda AIDS Commission, and the AIDS …
Read More »Period poverty keeps girls out of class as Uganda seeks private sector support
Kampala, Uganda | PATRICIA AKANKWATSA | Menstruation continues to be a major, largely invisible barrier to girls’ education in Uganda, organisers and humanitarian agencies warned at a fundraising breakfast in Kampala on Tuesday. The event, convened by Ecobank Uganda Limited and the Uganda Red Cross Society under the “Keep a Girl in School” (KAGIS) initiative, called …
Read More »Uganda’s tuberculosis response goes digital, but not yet decisive
For years, Uganda’s TB response has relied heavily on symptom-based screening. It is a low-cost approach, but one that experts increasingly describe as blunt and inadequate Kampala, Uganda | PATRICIA AKANKWATSA | Uganda’s response to tuberculosis is entering a new and more technologically driven phase. But as health experts …
Read More »TB risk should not depend on where we are born
Several countries in East and Southern Africa—including Uganda, Ethiopia, Kenya, Nigeria, and South Africa—remain among the high TB-burden settings globally COMMENT | ALEMNEW DAGNEW | In many high-income countries, even a small number of tuberculosis (TB) diagnoses can generate headlines and prompt a rapid public health response. Recent situations in …
Read More »Inside Uganda’s trade in male sexual enhancements
Kampala, Uganda | URN | For 150,000 shillings, Joel Obore promises more than just a quick fix; he promises a “permanent” transformation. Obore, a dealer of the Asia-imported AlphaMax M+ Coffee, uses aggressive marketing tactics that leave potential clients feeling they have no choice but to buy. Instead of a …
Read More »Kawempe Hospital cuts maternal deaths by over 100
Kawempe, Uganda | PARLIAMENT | Maternal deaths annually recorded at Kawempe National Referral Hospital have been slashed over the past three years from 200 to 60, Members of Parliament have been told. The revelation was made by the hospital’s executive director, Dr Emmanuel Byaruhanga, while appearing before the Public Accounts …
Read More »STUDY: Simple hygiene practices cut maternal infection deaths by 32%
Kampala, Uganda | URN | Results of a new study released on Tuesday indicate that health workers in maternity wards are not consistently practicing proper hand hygiene, putting mothers at risk of maternal infections, technically known as ‘sepsis’. Sepsis remains among the top three causes of maternal deaths in Uganda. In a …
Read More »Few new antibiotics for children, report warns
Millions in low- and middle-income countries could miss out on lifesaving drugs NEWS ANALYSIS | AGENCIES | Antibiotic production from big pharmaceutical companies has slowed significantly in the last five years, leaving children in low- and middle-income countries particularly exposed to hard-to-treat infections, according to new analysis. The …
Read More »Pharma pulls back as antimicrobial resistance threat grows
Currently, drug-resistant infections are responsible for over one million direct deaths per year, with AMR contributing indirectly to more than four million additional fatalities annually NEWS ANALYSIS | PATRICIA AKANKWATSA | The rising threat of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) continues to expose deep structural weaknesses in global pharmaceutical markets, with …
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The Independent Uganda: You get the Truth we Pay the Price