Health in Uganda
As of 2016, the five leading causes of death in Uganda included communicable diseases such as malaria neonatal disorders, COVID-19, HIV/AIDS and lower respiratory tract infections.
The risk factors most responsible for death and disability include child and maternal malnutrition, unprotected sexual activity, multiple sex partners,[9] contaminated water, poor sanitation, and air pollution.
[14][15] Uganda has the highest incidence rate of malaria in the world, with 478 people out of 1000 population being afflicted per year.
[20] Currently, Uganda is treating malaria through distribution of insecticide-treated nets, indoor spraying of insecticides, and preventative therapy for pregnant women.
Implicit in this is the right of men and women to be informed and to have access to safe, effective, affordable, and acceptable methods of family planning of their choice, as well as other methods of their choice for regulation of fertility, which are not against the law, and the right of access to health care services that will enable women to go safely through pregnancy and childbirth.
[23] According to UNICEF, Uganda's maternal mortality ratio, the annual number of deaths of women from pregnancy-related causes per 100,000 live births,[24] was 440 from 2008 to 2012.
[26] In rural areas, conceiving pregnant women seek the help of traditional birth attendants (TBAs) because of the difficulty in accessing formal health services and high transportation or treatment costs.
The TBAs' lack of knowledge and training and the use of traditional practices, however, have led to risky medical procedures resulting in high maternal mortality rates.
Those rates also persist because of an overall low use of contraceptives, the limited capacity of health facilities to manage abortion/miscarriage complications, and the prevalence of HIV/AIDS among pregnant women.
Despite malaria being one of the leading causes of morbidity in pregnant women, prevention and prophylaxis services are not well established according to a 2013 published report.
[35] Drug abuse is a significant public health concern in Uganda affecting both the child and adolescent populations.
[40] These 10 children that had high SDQ scores had mental health comorbidities which included suicide attempts (30%) and separation anxiety disorders (50%).
Most children reported access to homemade brew, caretaker's knowledge on drinking and difficult household situations that prompted them to take alcohol.
[42] The impact and policy changes plus law enforcement will help regulate alcohol consumption in Uganda and save the lives of many youth and children.
[49] Of these, 372 are general dental practitioners, 12 oral and maxillofacial surgeons, 3 orthodontists, 2 prosthodontists and 7 restorative dentists across the entire country as of 2021.
[43] Infant oral mutilation (IOM) is very common to most African countries in Sub-Saharan Africa, Uganda inclusive.
[50] The unerupted tooth is gouged out usually as a cure for high fevers and diarrhea in infants by un-trained personnel.
[50] The practice involves identifying raised areas on the infants' gums and using sharp instruments to extract the soft non-mineralized tooth considering it the "offending worm."
[52] A recent study published in 2019 among 3-5-year-old children in the Western part of Uganda revealed 8.1% were missing primary canines due to IOM.
[50] This practice is carried out at an age where the child's antibodies from breast milk and pregnancy are decreasing hence increased susceptibility to infections manifesting as fevers, diarrhea and vomiting that IOM is performed to treat.
The region was devastated by a protracted civil war between the government of Uganda and the Lords Resistance Army as well as the cattle rustling conflict that lasted for 20 years.
The region, however, still has many health challenges, such as poor health care infrastructure and inadequate staffing at all levels (2008 published report);[58] lack of access to the national electricity grid (2007 published report);[59] an inability to attract and retain qualified staff;[60] frequent stock outs in the hospitals and health facilities;[60] emerging and re-emerging diseases such as Ebola, nodding syndrome, onchocerciasis, and tuberculosis;[61] proneness to malaria epidemics, the leading cause of death in the country;[60] reintegration of former abducted child soldiers who returned home (2007 study);[62] lack of safe drinking water as most boreholes were destroyed during the war;[63] the HIV/AIDS epidemic (2004 published report);[64] poor education standards with high failure rates in primary and secondary school national examinations (2015 published report);[65] and poverty (2013 published report).
They have freedom of movement and are free to pursue livelihood opportunities, including access to the labour market and to establish businesses.
"Aid received per person against income" Cost disaggregated by sector exemption to UN agencies || 45,254,125 || 14.01 There are regular outbreaks of diseases such as cholera, ebola and marburg.
[77] Another research conducted by Makerere University stated that an increase in the number of old vehicles on roads has led to the deterioration of the air quality far beyond the World Health Organization's recommended levels.
[81] In 2022, it was reported by The Joint Monitoring Programme (JMP), the United Nations and World Health Organization's (WHO) that 9 percent of the Ugandan population depends on unimproved or surface water for their daily needs.
Children between the ages of 12 and 14 that have come into contact with nitrates-containing water are reported to have delayed response to light and sound stimuli.
[83] Diarrhoea alone, one of the effects clean water inaccessibility and one of three major childhood killers in Uganda, kills 33 children every day UNICEF reports.
This was in line with fulfilling the country’s global commitments at the UN Conference of Parties (COP) 26 and 28 summits in Glasgow (2021), and Dubai (2023).
[citation needed] Despite the existence of policies and guidelines, there is still a challenge in implementation which hinders the country from achieving targets under sustainable development goal (SDG13) of combating climate change by 2030.
