UGANDA: Of Acholi nodding disease syndrome and Kiruhura's drug resistant ticks

CHANGE OF GUARDS - "I led a fact-finding mission on the management of nodding disease in northern Uganda last week. Some mothers reported that some children were eaten by dogs. If we are borrowing loans for roads, who will use the roads? Who will use the schools? As a mother my heart bleads. It defeats logic how the entire government sends shillings 75 million (US $ 2,000,000) to nine districts for nodding disease victims. This is shillings 8 million for each district. As a country there is a problem we need to solve."

Winnie Kiiza, Leader of opposition - 27th March 2018.


"I faced a similar problem at my farm. The ticks had become immune to the spraying but through proper, more serious and effective methods of applying animal drugs to my animals against ticks, was the solution. Preventive measures against the East Coast Fever (Amashuyu) in animals where ticks diebon getting in contact with treated animals have been successful. Likewise, other diseases will be tackled accordingly in due course as assured by veterinary officials."

Museveni, while commissioning a girls' dormitory in Kiruhura, Esteri - in honour of his late mother - 18/3/2018.

"Uganda cows have over 14b shillings available for their treatment yet we can't barely raise shillings 1.2b needed to cater for nodding disease victims. How can this be?

Archbishop Cyprian Kizito Lwanga - 28/3/ 2018.

Drug resistant ticks have persistently been a problem affecting all the 27 Cattle Corridor districts. Museveni has been at the forefront of fighting tooth and nail to tackle the problem. He has committed vast amounts of national resources to address the problem. In July 2017 he led a technical team from the Agriculture ministry to launch a new drug, Vectoclor Acaricide at Kiruhura. In all his major national address the development of the diary industry and tackling of the drug resistant ticks is accorded almost 40% of the time.

For over a decade now, the nodding disease syndrome has affected children below the age of 16 in Acholiland. It was first diagnosed in 2009 in Kitgum having spread from South Sudan. It is allegedly caused by war-related chemical exposure, response to local parasites or a protein deficiency or genetics. The government response to the epidemic has been wanting.

Last week Museveni donated 1.3b shillings to his regime militia, Crime Preventers.

INFORMATION IS POWER AND THE PROBLEM OF UGANDA IS MUSEVENISM.