By Ojok Michael
The Gulu City health department has registered a total of 10,645 new malaria infections in three months according to a report from the department. The new cases were registered between January and March this year.
The health experts have since attributed the high cases of new infections to the inadequate knowledge on protective efforts such as vaccines and use of mosquito nets among others.
Dr Daniel Okello, the Gulu City Health Officer said the surge is mostly being registered among the school going children and migrant communities that are leaving in the city and its surrounding neighbourhood.
Dr Okello told Mega FM that in a bid to reverse the trend, the health department has intensified community and public awareness campaigns among the various stakeholders including school administrators, leaders of the various migrant communities to appreciate the benefits of vaccinations and use of mosquito nets.
Data from the City Health Department also revealed a worrying trend in the uptake of malaria vaccine.
The data shows that 84% of the children received malaria vaccination while 57% received the second dose and just 16% received the third dose.
According to the 5th Acholi Region Annual Integrated Performance Review, Malaria was noted as the leading cause of deaths in Acholi sub region, accounting for over 300 deaths, representing 19% of all death records in the region.
