By: Inyakuni Kennedy

Obongi

Health experts in Obongi district are worried over the raising cases of respiratory track infections among the local residents which they blame on poor health seeking behavior and poor hygiene of the people towards preventable diseases like influenza. Influenza (flu) is a highly contagious viral infection of the respiratory tract that can cause severe illness and life-threatening complications, and it affects people of all ages.

Mr. Lomurecuh Dominic, the acting obongi district health officer (DHO) noted cough and flu as number one disease burden followed by malaria which used to be one in obongi district. “If a facility registers fifty people in a day, you will realize half of them are due to cough and flu, and malaria has become number two in obongi. I was checking the dash board for the ministry of health, and obongi is among the districts that have registered low cases of malaria reason because we have implemented indoor residual spray well, and even right now if you go to the houses that were sprayed mosquitoes are not there” DHO said.

He adds: “this does not mean malaria is not there, the parasites are still there with human beings because people are moving near to water points which are breeding grounds for the mosquitoes. But ministry of health is on high preparation to distribute mosquitoes to support the indoor residual spray to eliminate malaria in the communities.”

The most common symptoms of the flu include, sudden appearance of a high fever, a dry cough, body aches, and feeling extremely weak and tired. It is a seasonal infection that usually occurs from April to September. But the  other disease burden in obongi district include, skin disease which is attributed as a result of poor hygiene, inaccessibility of safe and clean water and poor hygiene promotion practices.


Mr. Iranya Dominic, Obongi District water officer

According to Iranya Dominic, the district water officer, access to safe and clean water in obongi district stands at 58% which is below the national target of 74%. He said the nationals are the most poorly served people in terms of access to safe and clean compare to refugee community in obongi district. “There are one hundred thirty-two functional boreholes out of one hundred forty-eight in the settlements, fifteen pipe water supply systems. The water supply in refugee community stands at seventeen liters per person per day compare to three pipe water supply systems in obongi town council,” he noted.

However,  Mr. muhindu Geoffrey, the district health educator in a recent interview said despite of have 84% latrine coverage in obongi, the district has continue to register diseases that are related to poor hygiene practices. He adds that they embarked on educating lapidating and pregnant mothers on significance of promoting hygiene at home states.

Mr. Unzimai Henry, the obongi District Natural Resource Officer said a number of community dialogue meetings were conducted on demarcation of baffer areas bearing communities from settling near Nile belt due to the risks such as flooding and disease infection. “As a matter we are not allowing people to settle near the river bank. We need at least one hundred meters that should free of human settlement, and to help the communities to know exactly where this baffer zone stop, we demarcated two areas one in obongi town council and ndiri-ndiri trading center”, Mr. Unzimai said.

Obongi district has a total of seventeen health facilities. One health center iv which acts as a referral facility, six health center iii, and ten health center ii located at parish level across the district. With a total number of five hundred thirty-two thousand village health team (VHTs) who helps in health service delivery at village level.

COVER PHOTO: Obongi Health center IV sign post By: Inyakuni Kennedy