Africa-Press – Uganda. Health facilities in Kampala Metropolitan Area have registered 48 per cent decline in acute respiratory illnesses among children aged below five, a new report indicates.
Up to 21,983 deaths nationally occurred among children aged below five, who suffered from respiratory illnesses, with pneumonia being one of the major causes, according to the 2019/2020 Annual Health Sector Performance Report.
Dr Theresa Piloya, a paediatric endocrinologist at Makerere University, who led the study in six health facilities in two sub-counties in Wakiso District, attributed the decline to Covid-19 prevention measures such as hand washing and wearing facemasks.
The report titled “Effect of Covid-19 pandemic on access to community health care services for common childhood illnesses among children under five years in Wakiso District, Uganda,” relied on health management information system reports in the pre-Covid (January to August 2019) and Covid-19 period (January to August 2020).
Dr Piloya said they examined the data on the numbers of children seen with malaria, pneumonia or acute respiratory infections and diarrhoea in the said period.
“The number of children presenting with acute respiratory infection (ARI) or pneumonia at the facilities reduced by 48 per cent in Covid-19 period (pre-Covid versus Covid-19 period were 327 and 221, respectively),” she said.
The expert said they also assessed the number of children seen by Village Health Teams (VHTs). “Children visiting VHTs with acute respiratory infections or pneumonia (ARI) reduced by 46 per cent; from 311 seen in the pre-Covid period to 168 in the Covid-19 period,” Dr Piloya added.
Challenges
However, in the summary of the report that Daily Monitor saw, children with diarrhoea seen at VHTs increased by 20 per cent while malaria cases reduced by 3 per cent.
In the report, children who had cough or flu were often taken to VHTs or hospital to rule out Covid-19. Mothers, however, say some health workers and VHTs feared to touch the children with respiratory diseases such as cough. So some of them resorted to use of herbal medicines to treat the diseases.
“VHTs reported limited role in management of children during Covid period because of stock-out of drugs and other supplies due to challenges related to travel restrictions,” the report read.
“They also had fear of contracting Covid-19 infection, lacked training on Covid-19 recognition and management, lack of personal protection equipment and limited work force,” it read further.
