Uganda Media Centre

Onchocerciasis, also known as river blindness, is a disease caused by infection with the parasitic worm Onchocerca volvulus. Symptoms include severe itching, bumps under the skin, and blindness. It is the second most common cause of blindness due to infection, after trachoma.

The Government of Uganda launched the Health Sector Refugee Response Plan 2019-2024, (HSIRRP 2019-2024). This is a five-year plan that advocates for the provision of integrated services for both refugees and refugee-host communities in all the refugee-hosting districts.

The HSRIIP is intended to address the needs of refugees and the host communities and ensure access to quality health services for both through improvement of staffing of refugee-hosting districts to 95% of the public staffing norms.

In addition, 50% of the public health centres at level II will be improved to health centres level III. Likewise, adequate medicine and health supplies will be distributed to the respective districts using the national distribution channels.

The capacity of facility-based health workers and community health extension workers will also be built to adequately meet the needs of the communities.

Uganda hosts over 1.19 million refugees and ranks third globally among the countries with the highest number of refugees.

In the wake of an Ebola outbreak in The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Uganda has stepped its preparedness to prevent the outbreak from crossing into the country respond to a case if any. Below are some pictures showing the activities during the preparedness.  

Gender inequity, poverty among women, weak economic capacity, sexual and gender-based violence including female genital mutilation (FGM) are major impediments to the amelioration of women's health in the African Region. To ensure that women and men have equal access to the necessary opportunities to achieve their full health potential and health equity, the health sector and the community need to recognize that women and men differ in terms of both sex and gender. Because of social (gender) and biological (sex) differences, women and men experience different health risks, health-seeking behaviour, health outcomes and responses from health systems.

#Uganda remains on high alert for #Ebola Virus Disease due to the current outbreak in the neighbouring #DRC. Various activities have been implemented to ensure readiness. Alertness and awareness by the general public is also paramount Here is what you need to know about #Ebola