Treyfish
Moderator
<TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width=485 border=0><TBODY><TR><TD class=menutitle height=18>News | February 9, 2008</TD></TR><TR><TD vAlign=top height=30>?Check rampant disease across regional borders?
JANE NAFULA
KAMPALA
THE influx of Kenyan refugees has seen communities at border towns of Malaba, Mulanda and Busia succumb to scabies.
Although officials from Uganda's Ministry of Health say that the recent ebola outbreak in Western Uganda originated from a mountain in Bundibogyo, majority of Ugandans claim that the disease could have originated from Congo, where the diesease claimed several lives.
When the cholera epidemic hit West Nile about two years ago, Dr Sam Okware who was heading the cholera taskforce attributed the periodic outbreaks to inadequate sanitation and hygiene practices as well as constant across border migration from Sudan and the DRC.
The World Health Organisation's Regional Director for Africa, Dr Luis Gomes Sambo who was in Uganda recently to assess the health situation in the country, says cross border movement is one of the major channels through which epidemics spread from one country to another.
Dr Sambo says it is important for countries to have focal points in villages, districts to detect and respond early to epidemics.
"The virus and other micro-organisms provoking infections don't need passports to cross borders," Dr Sambo says.
He reveals that WHO through the World Health Assembly recently adopted the international health regulations as a new instrument that should be enforced to facilitate global, regional and national disease surveillance systems to manage public health emergencies of international concern.
According to WHO, the new rules require countries to build national capacity for routine preventive measures, detect and respond to public health emergencies of international concern. Measures include public health action at airports and land borders.
However, in Uganda, action is usually taken when there is an outbreak in the country like it was the case with Ebola, Cholera and the bird flu scare.
The government rushed to issue a bird flu alert after an outbreak was confirmed in the neighbouring Southern Sudan. Bird flu is a highly infectious disease in birds, which may through constant contact passes onto humans.
"We are working with WHO to carryout monitoring and disease surveillance at various places including borders," The Director of health services, Dr Zaramba said.
Tororo RDC, Mr Mpimbaza Hashaka who has been at the forefront of resettling Kenyan refugees says that all refugees who have crossed to Uganda have been screened for different diseases including HIV, TB and heart diseases.
"Before they are taken to the refuge settlements, we check them to find out whether they have complicated diseases. The last time we screened, we found that one of the refugees was suffering from TB. We isolated him and he is now on treatment" Mr Hashaka says . :tiphat:
</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>
http://www.monitor.co.ug/artman/publish/news/Check_rampant_disease_across_regional_borders.shtml
JANE NAFULA
KAMPALA
THE influx of Kenyan refugees has seen communities at border towns of Malaba, Mulanda and Busia succumb to scabies.
Although officials from Uganda's Ministry of Health say that the recent ebola outbreak in Western Uganda originated from a mountain in Bundibogyo, majority of Ugandans claim that the disease could have originated from Congo, where the diesease claimed several lives.
When the cholera epidemic hit West Nile about two years ago, Dr Sam Okware who was heading the cholera taskforce attributed the periodic outbreaks to inadequate sanitation and hygiene practices as well as constant across border migration from Sudan and the DRC.
The World Health Organisation's Regional Director for Africa, Dr Luis Gomes Sambo who was in Uganda recently to assess the health situation in the country, says cross border movement is one of the major channels through which epidemics spread from one country to another.
Dr Sambo says it is important for countries to have focal points in villages, districts to detect and respond early to epidemics.
"The virus and other micro-organisms provoking infections don't need passports to cross borders," Dr Sambo says.
He reveals that WHO through the World Health Assembly recently adopted the international health regulations as a new instrument that should be enforced to facilitate global, regional and national disease surveillance systems to manage public health emergencies of international concern.
According to WHO, the new rules require countries to build national capacity for routine preventive measures, detect and respond to public health emergencies of international concern. Measures include public health action at airports and land borders.
However, in Uganda, action is usually taken when there is an outbreak in the country like it was the case with Ebola, Cholera and the bird flu scare.
The government rushed to issue a bird flu alert after an outbreak was confirmed in the neighbouring Southern Sudan. Bird flu is a highly infectious disease in birds, which may through constant contact passes onto humans.
"We are working with WHO to carryout monitoring and disease surveillance at various places including borders," The Director of health services, Dr Zaramba said.
Tororo RDC, Mr Mpimbaza Hashaka who has been at the forefront of resettling Kenyan refugees says that all refugees who have crossed to Uganda have been screened for different diseases including HIV, TB and heart diseases.
"Before they are taken to the refuge settlements, we check them to find out whether they have complicated diseases. The last time we screened, we found that one of the refugees was suffering from TB. We isolated him and he is now on treatment" Mr Hashaka says . :tiphat:
</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>
http://www.monitor.co.ug/artman/publish/news/Check_rampant_disease_across_regional_borders.shtml