Uganda’s Health Ministry has confirmed reports of a strange disease that recently struck Mityana, leaving six babies dead.
Sarah Opendi, the State Minister of Health General Duties revealed that the deaths were mainly due to fetal distress resulting from delayed labour.
She made the remarks today on the floor of Parliament while responding to the allegations of Neonatal deaths in Bukooba village Sekanyonyi Sub County in Mityana District, that were raised recently by Henry Makumbi, the Mityana South MP.
“Our preliminary investigations established that the main causes of neonatal deaths, neonatal infection and fetal distress was delayed labour . Four out of six deaths were due to fetal distress due to delayed labour while other were due to infections,” Opendi (in featured photo)said.
She confirmed the death that occurred after the mothers gave birth in the health facilities and said that although MP Makumbi had put the number of deaths at eight, six deaths were confirmed with the deaths occurring among babies of ages between 0-2 days.
According to the Minister, the deceased had high fever, yellowing of skin and the main cause of death was distress due to delayed delivery while the other two were as a result of neonatal infection.
She added that following the deaths, District Health Officials have been advised and health workers urged to attend to expectant mothers on time and maintain good hygiene within the health facilities and make sure the mothers don’t introduce herbal medicine on babies’ umbilical cords because all signs show that has been source of infections.
It should be recalled that last week, Makumbi told Parliament that his voters in Mityana South were living in fear of their lives after a strange disease hit their constituency with a number of children having lost their lives.
“The village is in panic; I couldn’t provide solution. The children who have died, their bodies turn yellowish. To make matters worse, two ladies told me that in most of health Centres, there are no vaccines of measles,” Makumbi said.
He added:”We want to know why there is shortage of measles in health Centres. We request ministry of health to come to Bukooba village and save my people.”
