By Asenath Were
A simple survey done in health centres near Uganda Christian University show that in recent months, malaria and typhoid fever have been the most common ailments impacting both students and staff, highlighting the urgent need for preventative measures within the university community.
The university’s “Allan Galpin” Health Centre has seen a rise of malaria patients, particularly during the rainy seasons when mosquito population grows due to increased breeding places like stagnant water.
The director of the health centre, Dr. Geoffrey Mulindwa, notes that malaria was surprisingly high in May.
“We still have more malaria than we thought. Usually, when we test someone we expect less than 30% of the results to be positive. However, in May, more than 30% of the tests were positive, indicating a higher prevalence of malaria,” he said.
Dr. Mulindwa explained that malaria is caused by the plasmodium parasite and spreads through the bites of an infected female anopheles mosquito.
He went on to say that malaria symptoms include a high fever that comes and goes, often accompanied by chills and shivering, persistent and often severe headache, nausea and vomiting, generalised muscle aches and joint pain, and, extreme tiredness and weakness. With this, he stressed the necessity of preventive measures.
“We encourage students and staff to use insecticide-treated mosquito nets, apply mosquito repellents, wear long-sleeved clothing to prevent mosquito bites, and ensure proper sanitation to eliminate breeding grounds for mosquitoes,” he stated.
When it comes to typhoid, Dr Abraham Makanga of Sure Care Centre clinic (SCC) located at Wandegeya in Mukono District, says that it is one of the most prevalent diseases ailing the UCU community. He says it is caused by the bacterium salmonella typhi, which spreads through contaminated food and water.
He informed the UCU Standard Community Newspaper that students have reported symptoms such as prolonged fever, abdominal pain, and, fatigue.
Dr Makanga encourages the students to always drink boiled water and stay away from street food, no matter how appealing it may seem as he says that in most cases, the food is cold and the sanitation is bad, which often leads to typhoid infection.
According to the World Health Organisation, here are 9 million cases of typhoid fever annually, which results in about 110,000 deaths.
The health organisation emphasises that antibiotics are a viable treatment option for typhoid fever, however, even after treatment, individuals may still harbour typhoid germs, which can be transmitted to others through the excretion of the bacteria in faeces. To reduce the risk of spreading the infection to others, they thus advise patients receiving treatment for typhoid fever to take their prescribed antibiotics for the full recommended duration, wash their hands with soap and water after using the restroom, and refrain from preparing or serving food to others.
Additionally, as the article states, “When the safety of drinking water is questionable, boil it, or if this is not possible, disinfect it with a reliable, slow-release disinfectant agent (usually available at pharmacies), wash hands thoroughly and frequently use soap, in particular after contact with pets or farm animals, or after having been to the toilet as well as fruits and vegetables carefully, particularly if they are eaten raw. If possible, vegetables and fruits should be peeled.”
