Government of Uganda through the Health Ministry confirms that there are no new reported cases of nodding disease syndrome just as it was raised by Northern legislators last week.
The Health Minister, Dr. Jane Ruth Aceng while addressing a news conference today in Kampala, noted that the only reported cases are related to convulsions and epilepsy but not nodding syndrome.
She further said, since 2015 when the country registered the first case in the Northern region todate, 2010 cases have been reported with over 137 deaths recorded in the affected six Northern region Districts of Gulu Lamwo, Pader, Kitgum, Lira and Omoro with already 13 Health Units and Rehabilitation Centers set up to provide health services to the patients.
Meanwhile, the two Northern Districts of Kitgum and Lamwo are reported to have failed to show full and clear accountability of nodding disease fund totaling to Shs237 million Dr. Aceng revealed.
Since the outbreak of the disease in 2015, government has injected over Shs1.8 billion in funding the treatment, feeding, outreach programmes as well as rehabilitation of patients to full recovery but it has been discovered that officials In the two district have not shown proper accountability of the above mentioned funds.
The Health Minister now says, they are investigating the matter as per the public finance management act to have all officer involved in the mismanagement of the funds punished.
