Uganda's Nalubale Dawa Covid vaccine research underway -Museveni

Museveni takes a Covid jab

By Tonny Abet

President Museveni has said Ugandan scientists are developing Nalubale Dawa (ND) Covid-19 vaccine as a local innovation to increase fight against the pandemic.

"The vaccines are getting more available globally, however, we are working hard on our own vaccine which we shall call Nalubale Dawa. I thought about (using the name) Kiira Dawa but because the car people had taken the Kiira (name), I think we should leave Kiira to them and maintain Nalubale (Dawa)," he said.

He said this today night during his address to the nation on Covid-19 and security.

The President had earlier last year said Ugandan scientists would get the Covid-19 cure or vaccine earlier than developed countries.

Since the outbreak last year, the coronavirus has infected about twelve hundred thousand people and killed over 3000 people in the country.

In his address, the President said Uganda is banking on Covid-19 vaccination to fully reopen schools and economy in January next year. He said the government will reopen the economy whether people are vaccinated or not.

Over 6 million out of 15.5 million doses of the vaccines acquired by government through donations and direct procurement have been administered.

 The government is racing to vaccinate at least 21.9 million Ugandans to contain the pandemic.

Envt: Cities, municipalities get trucks to address waste menace

Mr Sam Atul, the mayor of Lira city receives two garbage trucks in Kampala. Photo taken by Tonny Abet in November 2021

Envt: Cities, municipalities get trucks to address waste menace

BY TONNY ABET

The Ministry of Lands, Housing and Urban Development yesterday gave cities and municipalities, garbage trucks to address the piles of rotten, unsightly and hazardous wastes that are rampant in urban areas countrywide.

Dr Sam Mayanja, the State Minister for Lands said a total of fourteen brand new trucks were given to five cities, each receiving two trucks, and four municipalities received one truck each.

Arua, Lira, Hoima, Mbale, Masaka were the cities that benefitted while the municipalities included Kitgum, Mubende, Tororo and Kasese. More cities and municipalities will follow, according to the State Minister.

“Currently, the quantity of wastes generated in all our cities and municipalities in Uganda exceeds their capacity to collect, transport and dispose it off,” he said.

He added: “This results in mountains of wastes that are a common sight in our urban areas. This poses a threat to our health and also creates scenes that make our urban areas unsightly.”

The country’s efficiency in solid waste collection is currently very low, at 30 percent. This means the biggest chunk of waste cannot be collected and a huge portion are ending up in water bodies, thereby polluting and affecting vital aquatic life like fish.

“The limited capacity to manage solid waste has resulted in many of our people using unconventional methods of disposal such as collection within the backyards and burning, collection in polythene bags and dumping in streams, roadsides and water drainage channels which leads to blockage of the channels and streams,” Dr Mayanja said.

The blockage of drainage channels has caused flooding and loss of lives, especially in Kampala, according to previous media reports.

The country is also experiencing rapid urbanisation at a rate of 5 per cent, a factor which is leading to overcrowding and emergence of slums and informal settlements which have poor garbage management strategies, according to the Ministry.  

Mayors, Ministry divided on polythene ban

Mr Sam Atul, the Mayor for Lira city and Ms Florence Namayanja, the Masaka city mayor, applauded the Ministry for the trucks but asked the government to implement the ban on polythene bags.

They said polythene is one of the root causes of the growing problem of solid wastes in urban areas which are very costly to manage.

Mr Atul said: “We have received trucks to support us on garbage management, most especially in this era when the city is growing and attracting many people, the challenges of waste management are real.”

“But we also need government to come clear on helping us to manage polythene bags. The State Minister of Environment [Ms Beatrice Anywar] has come out to say that we are going to have a ban on kaveera but action has not yet been taken. This still remains a challenge for us as a city and the whole country,” he added.

Ms Namayanja said that although the biggest source of waste is from agricultural commodities sold in the city, “plastics such as the bottles and kavera are the hardest to handle.”

“Government has made a pronouncement on the ban and there is a law banning kavera. Kavera comes from known manufacturing sites and if they [government] do not deal with it from the source, it becomes a lot problem for us and the environment because we are at the receiving end,” she said.

But Dr Mayanja said the government cannot ban kavera. “Polythene bags are produced everywhere in the world. The right thing is not to ban it but find the good way of handling,” he said. 

Dr Aceng points out 10 reasons why Ugandans are not getting quality care

Launch of government Family planning commitments for 2030 in Kampala. Photo by Tonny Abet

Dr Aceng points out 10 reasons why Ugandans are not getting quality care

BY TONNY ABET

The Health Ministry has said Ugandans shouldn’t expect significant improvement in the quality of health care if the ten shortfalls including inadequate financing, shortage of specialists and inadequate equipment are not addressed.

The 2020 Annual Health Sector Performance Report indicated that country registered 45,042 deaths in hospitals in the 2019/2020 financial year, a figure which is 13 per cent higher than the 34,491 deaths that were reported in the 2018/2019 financial year.

A statement presented by Dr Jane Aceng, the Health minister to members of Parliament on Wednesday, up to 74 districts in the country lack government general hospitals, meaning the locals have to cross districts or travel to Kampala to get medical care.

“The estimated cost for construction and equipping is Shs70 billion per hospital and total cost for 74 hospitals is Shs5.1 trillion,” she said in the statement on the state of Public Healthcare Service Delivery in Uganda presented to Parliament. The presentation followed the demand by legislators.

The Minister said the creation of new districts is not being matched by need for more funds for establishment of health facilities and service delivery to the people.

She said the government allocates each Ugandan only Shs62,900 per person per year for medical care, which according to Dr Aceng falls short of the minimum requirement of Shs125,800 to avail essential healthcare.

The Shs62,900 can only treat one episode of malaria attack in low-level clinics in Kampala where people are charged somewhere from Shs60,000 to over Shs100,000 for treatment depending on the severity of the disease.  

“With the current funding, the health sector will not achieve the targets indicated in the National Development Plan III and the health-related sustainable development goals including reduction of child mortality, improving maternal health and combatting HIV/AIDS…,” Dr Aceng said.

The country records up to 1000 new cases of HIV infections each week, according to The Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) and about 1.4 million people are living with the disease.

According to Dr Aceng, the biggest chunk of the funding for the country’s supplies of essential medicines come from development partners, not government.

“The available government funding for essential medicines and health supplies is Shs9,285 per capita (of which 36 percent is for ARVs),” she said.

She added:”This is far below the recommended Shs44,000 per capita. Development partners contribute up to 64 percent of the funding for medicines and this is mainly for ARVs, HIV testing kits, TB drugs, antimalarial and reproductive health commodities.”

She said the projected funding gap for essential medicines and health supplies over the period of 2020 to 2025 is Shs5.7trillion. “There is an urgent need to increase government funding for medicines and health supplies.”

List

The ten challenges presented MoH

1. The shortage of critical cadres like anesthetic officers for emergency care, and pharmacists

2. Inadequate financing to the sector

3. Increase in number of Local governments without adequate funds for health service delivery.

4. Dilapidated health infrastructure

5. Inadequate medical equipment

6. Lack of proper imaging equipment like CT scans, X-rays

7. Districts don’t have hospitals and Health Centre IVs

8. Lack of staff accommodation in health facilities

9. Inadequate funding for National Medical Ambulance service system

10. The need to strengthen community health extension workforce

Ugandan MPs express fear over Covid vaccines

November 2021: A nurse injects a Kyambogo University student with Covid vaccine at a vaccination point in Kampala. Photo by Tonny Abet

MPs express fear over Covid vaccines

BY TONNY ABET

The Members of Parliament have said a significant number of Ugandans are worried about the safety of Covid-19 vaccines even as the government forces people to take the jab to access key offices.

Mr Mathias Mpuuga, the Leader of the Opposition in Parliament (LOP), said he got several complaints that the vaccines cause impotence.

“There are concerns in some areas where the uptake [of Covid-19 vaccine] is very low, that this vaccine causes impotence in men and therefore men are scared of these vaccines and is weary of the future,” he said yesterday in Parliament.

He was reacting to the presentation by Dr Jane Ruth Aceng, the Health Minister on the state of Covid-19 response.

But Dr Aceng in response to Mr Mpuuga, said there is no evidence that the vaccines cause impotence. “Research has not documented that [impotence] issue as one of the side effects [of the Covid-19 vaccines]” she said.

Ms Betty Aol Ocan, the former LOP said some two teachers in Gulu sub-region have also died after the vaccination and that this is worsening the hesitancy.

But Dr Aceng said there is no guarantee that someone may not contract the virus after taking the jab. she said those who have received two jabs are better protected.

The government has so far administered 3.2 million doses out of 8.9million doses it acquired through donation and direct procurement. The government is racing to vaccinate 7 million people to fully reopen the economy next year.

At the plenary, Ms Cecilia Ogwal, the Dokolo District woman MP asked the government to increase salary of health workers who are doing vaccination. She said the current Shs5000 they get per day is an insult to someone who is responsible.

Dr Aceng said in response that they had put the amount at that because they expected the health workers to do vaccination in hospital setting. She said they are also constrained by finance because of limited allocation from the government for Covid-19 vaccination.

The Minister, however, said they have got some support from development partners to increase the amount given to health workers doing outreaches to Shs28,000 per day.

Dr Aceng said the government has so far spent about Shs619b on vaccine procurement and distribution but that they need Shs1.4 trillion for the entire vaccination exercise to reach the target of 22 million people. 

Keywords: Covid, vaccine, Uganda, Kampala, men, side effects, erectile dysfunction, blood clots

Uganda stops holding international travellers over Covid testing

 

Nurse examines a client: Photo taken in November 2021 in Kampala by Tonny Abet

Uganda stops holding international travellers over Covid testing 

BY TONNY ABET

The Director General of Health Services, Dr Henry Mwebesa, has written to the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA), requesting that effective today, in-bound travellers should be allowed to go home after taking their samples.

Previously, travellers entering the country through Entebbe International Airport were being asked to wait for their results at the airport but issues of long waiting hours had been raised by travellers.

“The Ministry of Health on advice from Scientists, has resolved that all arriving passengers at Entebbe International Airport will have their samples for Covid-19 taken and there after they will be allowed to proceed home or to their hotels for self-isolation until they receive their results,” the letter by Dr Mwebesa dated November 4th reads in part.

He continued: “The test results will be sent to their phones or emails. This change takes effect on 5th November, 2021. This is to request you to commensurate this to all airlines.”

Dr Jane Aceng, the Health minister, told MPs on Wednesday that the move will minimize inconveniences resulting from delays in sample collection and dispatch of results.

“Travellers will be required to provide adequate information for easy traceability,” she said.

“Our airport is very small, there is no space and we are trying to do everything in that small space. We are hoping that when internet services improve and people apply online, it will take a shorter time,” Aceng said.

The Minister said that the ministry will strengthen the surveillance system and follow-up all the identified positive cases. But some experts have since the outbreak of the pandemic last year, said the Ministry’s surveillance system is not efficient.  

The government said it introduced the mandatory testing to curb the importation and spread of deadly variants of the coronavirus that has so far killed over 3000 Ugandans and infected more than 120,000. 

Keywords: Covid, Uganda, airport, Entebbe, testing, Kampala, travellers, tourism, flight

Mulago hospital launches surgical camp for children with birth defects

November 9, 2021: Pediatric surgeons at Mulago hospital operate on a baby with hernia. Picture by Tonny Abet

Mulago hospital launches surgical camp for children with birth defects

BY TONNY ABET

Mulago Hospital on Monday launched a ten-day surgical camp to operate on children with birth defects.

Dr Rosemary Byanyima, the deputy director of the hospital said the camp is targeting children who were not able to access care because of a shortage of specialists and limited facilities in the country.

“There is a big number of children born with birth defects [in the country]. From time to time they [pediatric surgeons in Mulago hospital] operate on children but the backlog becomes a lot and then we have to organize a medical camp where we put all the resources together and operate,” Dr Byanyima said.

Added: “We are targeting to operate over 120 children. On the first day alone, around 20 children were operated on. Ninety percent of the specialists who are doing this are our staff but there are other two guests specialists who are going to be working with us.”

Dr John Sekabira, the head of pediatric surgery unit of Mulago Hospital told Daily Monitor that there are only seven pediatric surgeons in the country.

“This is in a country where children constitute 50 percent. Around 10 percent of [1.4 million] children born annually in the country have birth defects,” he said.

Dr Sekabira added that: “every month, our ward admits around 150 children with various conditions. The few number of specialists is one of the causes of backlog of children who can’t access operation services but facilities are also not enough.”

There are three dedicated theatres in Mulago hospital for operating children, according to the management.

Ms Agnes Nabaggala, a resident of Nsambya in Kampala and a mother who has brought a baby to be operated on, said her child was born without an anus.

“I [first] brought my baby here when he was one-day old and he was operated on the following day. The behind part was operated on when he was one year and nine months and now they are just going to return it back,” he said.

Dr Byanyima said the corrective surgeries are done in stages. “We thank the parents for responding to the call to bring their children for these operations. These children are having their operations in stages and it is very important that the parents keep bringing their children in the next and the following appointment.”

Dr Sekabira said there is not much that mothers can do to prevent the birth defects. He said the commonest conditions they handle include children born without anus, children with undescended testes, problems in the spleen, intestinal obstruction and cancers among others. 

Keywords: mulago, Hospital, Kampala, Uganda, children, defects, birth

Mandatory Covid jabs for travellers to US

Mandatory Covid jabs for travellers to US

BY TONNY ABET

The government of United States of America (USA) has announced that all travellers entering the country from November 8, will be required to be fully vaccinated against Covid-19 to safeguard their public health.

A statement by Ned Price, the spokesperson for the Department of State, that this reporter got yesterday, all travellers going to the US will be asked to provide proof of vaccination status prior to boarding an airplane to the country.

He, however, said some exceptions will be made for some people, especially those from countries that have been struggling to access vaccines.

“This policy prioritises public health, protecting U.S. citizens and residents as well as those who come to visit us.  Because it puts public health first, exceptions to this policy will be extremely limited:  including children under 18 and certain individuals in countries where vaccines are not yet readily accessible,” he said.

The US has so far lost 767,849 people to Covid-19 and over 46 million of its citizens have been infected since the outbreak of the disease in the country, according to statistics from worldometers.info. This makes the country one of the most hit by the pandemic.  

The directive comes at a time when authorities in many countries, Uganda inclusive, are introducing stringent internal measures such as restricting access to offices for unvaccinated workers and visitors to promote vaccination and restrain the pandemic. Some legal experts, however, say restricting unvaccinated people is a violation of right to access.

Mr Price said the guidelines also include new protocols around testing. “To further strengthen protections, unvaccinated travellers – whether U.S. Citizens, lawful permanent residents (LPRs), or the small number of excepted unvaccinated foreign nationals – will now need to test within one day of departure.”

“For those who are vaccinated, the testing requirement remains three days before their flight…. This policy will allow the resumption of regular international travel for those who are fully vaccinated.  Families and friends can see each other again, and tourists can visit our national parks and famous landmarks,” he added.

He said the policy is aimed at further boosting economic recovery across their country which has suffered tremendously from Covid-19 effects.

The government of Uganda has also introduced mandatory Covid-19 testing for all travellers entering the country through Entebbe International Airport to curb the importation of deadly variants of the coronavirus and prevent the spread of the disease in the country.

Fish in Uganda: People enjoy fried fish in Gaba, Kampala

 Ugandans enjoy fried fish in Gaba landing site restaurant. Video by Tonny Abet. 30/10/2021

Keywords: environment, fish, Uganda, Kampala, Gaba

Birds of Uganda: Marabou stork

Marabou stork sips water at Gaba landing site. Picture by Tonny Abet. 30/10/2021

Keywords: environment, Uganda, Abet, Tonny, Lake Victoria, Kampala

How farmers can tap into export markets

 Video by Tonny Abet, science journalist in Kampala, Uganda.

Key words: Diet, Nutrition, Farmers, Uganda, Organic, Abet, Tonny, Daily Monitor, Kampala

Covid-19: People who skipped childhood TB vaccine at higher risk

The common vaccine administered to protect children from tuberculosis has shown significant association with reduced risk of Covid-19 deaths, experts say.

 

Information from the Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunisation (Gavi), the vaccine known as Bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG) produces life-long enhanced immunity against other respiratory diseases such as Covid-19.

 

“The researchers found that every 10 per cent increase in BCG index was associated with a 10.4 per cent reduction in Covid-19 mortality,” the information on the Gavi website reads.

 

The agency which is behind Covid-19 vaccine development and global sharing, says there are ongoing studies in countries such as Netherlands and Australia to determine how exactly the BCG protects people from Covid-19 death.

 

“This means that we will only know for certain if BCG vaccine works against Covid-19 once results of a number of clinical trials have been fully scrutinised,” the vaccine agency wrote.

 

BCG is approved for use in Uganda by National Drug Authority.

Uganda discusses plan to introduce digital health passport

Written by Tonny Abet

All inbound and outbound travellers to Uganda will have to present digitally verified proof of a negative Covid-19 test if the government accepts a new proposal from the African Union.

The African Union and Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) have come up with Trusted Traveller (TT) initiative, an online system designed to authenticate and verify travellers' Covid-19 certificates to curb the cross-border spread of Covid-19 infection in the continent.

As of Wednesday, a total of 3,308,919 cases and 80,939 Covid-19 deaths had been reported in the continent, according to Africa CDC.

Asked on Tuesday by this reporter about Uganda’s position, Dr Diana Atwine, the permanent secretary of the Ministry of Health said their teams are still discussing and that a clear position will be communicated.

“They [African Union] presented the proposal and our teams are reviewing. It is after the reviewing process is completed that I shall know [whether Uganda will adopt it],” Dr Atwine said. 

To adopt the initiative, the Ministry will have to set specific restrictions and test requirements in the online system, register and monitor testing laboratories, according to information from the website of the Africa CDC.

Africa CDC said laboratories will have to issue Covid-19 certificates with Trusted Travel codes that can be readily verified by airlines and border point health authorities to ensure the integrity of presented certificates.

Currently, some Covid-19 test results are presented on printed paper and so are susceptible to forgery. Some countries such as Kenya already adopted the technology, according to last week's report by the Daily Nation.

In Uganda, the cumulative confirmed cases stood at 38,534 and deaths at 305 as of Tuesday, according to the Ministry of Health statistics.    

How it works

“Passenger obtains this information and goes to a laboratory to get tested according to the requirements laid out by the Public Health Authority [of the country],” the information on the Afric CDC website reads.

It adds: “The laboratory operator generates special seals for digital test results that are verifiable through the Trusted Travel portal. The passenger can go to the airlines’ website to validate the test result for a clearance code or the passenger can get to the airport and validate the test result code with the help of the Airline Agent to obtain the clearance code just ahead of travel.”

Upon arrival in the destination country, the port official verifies the clearance code and then allows the passenger or traveller through, according to the agency.