Dear members, I hope this finds you well. With concern, I note the death of our former youth MP for Northern Uganda due to Hepatitis B, my condolences and may his soul rest in peace. Those of us who were on campus in politics at the time the first youth MPs were elected remember him well. His death is one of those many lives we are losing due to Hepatitis B in the region. Last month, we lost a PhD student of Makerere University due to the same disease. How many have we lost that are not even heard of? These have caused a hole in my heart and made me write this email.The most painful thing is this disease is preventable and has a vaccine which is not accessible. Even a mere information sheet is not available for people Our main concern: The disease is most concentrated in Eastern, Northern and West Nile in that order. Many lives are going.The disease is sexually transmitted and other methods just like HIV but more infectious than HIV whose national prevalence is 7% but Hep B is 10.3% and has not been given attention.
I want to state categorically clear here that this is not my job, i am volunteering my time and resources because I am very concerned as a public health person and I have no political ambitions as people have been alleging. These are detractors and we should leave them alone. I want to update you on how far we have moved, may be this can motivate some of you to join the struggle. 1.We registered a formal concern to the Minister of Health as members of Science cafe Uganda(Draecabo Charles, Okuti Richard and Munduru Christine). This was well supported by West Nile Foundation, thanks to Ejiku and Caleb for mobilizing the team and the individuals who supported. 2. we managed to push MoH to action and constituted a taskforce which sits every wednesday at MoH chaired by commissioner clinical services 3. We officially launched the awareness campaign in West Nile(Arua) on 20th December 2013. 4. we produced the first brochure for hepatitis B in Uganda which was printed free by Aceku Stephen, launched by Minister of health in the person of dr. Amandua Jacinto, commissioner clincal services in Arua. 5. We now have a draft strategy for Hepatitis B which is being finalized by technical team. 6. Government finally made a committment in parliament and has earmaked some funds for Hepatitis B campaign 7. 14 districts were chosen by the technical team to receive the first vaccines that may soon arrive(about 4-5months time) in the country. The 14 districts were purely chosen based on the prevalence of the disease got from the 2004 sero survey data. 8. there are about 36 doses of the vaccines currently lying in NMS and this was agreed by the task force to be taken to West Nile where the awareness was first launched but awaits some technical decisions to be taken All these have happened because three of us with support of West Nile Foundation have been pushing and if we pull out now, the way I see things in MoH, all these may fall on the way. Even the available vaccines will expire in NMS. challenges 1. To date, the road map of how the vaccines will be delivered has not been agreed by the technical team at MoH 2. No budget for Hepatitis B has been included in the next financial year of MoH, meaning even if the vaccines come, MoH will say there are no funds to deliver them and they may lie idle but with pressure, something can happen 3. Of late I have been the available person to attend the meetings, others have got committments and when I am taken up, when I am taken up by my official job duties, no representation from the region who is mainly pushing the issues and nothing moves ahead. what we can do 1. we need more people, especially technical people to attend the meetings because discussions need people who are informed about the disease, can debate from informed point. In the meetings, people also have their own interests to push for so if ours not represented? 2. We need mass support behind the technical team to push for the issues as a region 3.Both the technical team and advocacy body should push for the available vaccines to be taken to the agreed districts. This will put government on pressure as other regions will start demanding. If we dont do this, government will go to sleep again, yet the fact is people are dying, govt is aware but chooses otherwise. I call upon all of us to be concerned and join the struggle. I would be happy if West Nile Foundation as our bigger umbrella maintains the support and calls a meeting to bring people on board to discuss this more for bigger actions We also have West Nile Medical practitioners Association( am not sure if this is the correct name but I know something close to this exists), can they join the struggle and use their expertise to help their people and many others who have the good will to join and save lives of our people. Somebody was making a presentation to west Nilers and said 3 categories of people "1.there are people who make things happen;2. there are those who see how things happen 3. those who wonder how things happen" and he went ahead to say West Nilers are the people who wonder how things happen. I am in category no 1. Do you want to be as he has said? At first the three of us were told "who are these West Nilers to think they can move MoH to act, we disproved them. If you are a positive thinker, please join us but negative thinker hold on. Sorry for the long email Christine Munduru
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