As Gulu district and the government of Uganda struggles to manage cases of nodding syndrome in Odek sub county, parents have instead resorted to drinking and denying their children food who are discharged from the rehabilitation Centre constructed by Good hope under the pretext that they are catered for from the Centre.

Some of the children affected by nodding disease waiting for food distribution at Tumangu village in Kitgum. PHOTO: Francis Emorut

The focal person for nodding syndrome Cankara Michael who is also the disease surveillance officer says as health workers they are being frustrated by the parents because there’s a need to closely monitor the affected children upon returning home.

“The parents are refusing to cater for their children claiming that they eat and take a bath from the centers.”

“If I give you treatment while at a health facility and you are discharged where you are given more drugs to take from home and you don’t, then my effort to treat you will be in vain,” he explained.

He however noted that new cases of the affected children are reducing and 325 children who are under management are improving.

The focal person also noted that with the timely delivery of consignment of Sodium Valproat drug by the ministry of health will help deal with the problem.

Cankara however expressed a problem of long distance faced by parents of the affected children as most of them are very far from the treatment centers.

“However as a district in partnership with world vision we were able to train about 48 village health teams and 24 health workers in the most affected areas to help us deal with the problem and I’m also delighted that the ministry is coming on board to supplement the district’s efforts”.