Rashid Mwesigye, a medical entomologist consultant at Sightsavers Uganda, a non-governmental organization fighting neglected tropical diseases says most people still believe elephantiasis and hydrocele diseases are caused by witchcraft or stepping on charms.
Morris Odong, a patient with elephantiasis offers his testimony on how he was led to be believe his condition was a result of witchcraft during a meeting in Gulu city on Tuesday.
Health experts in Northern Uganda
are raising concern over widespread misconceptions about elephantiasis, a
debilitating disease that has left thousands suffering in silence due to
misinformation.
Elephantiasis, medically Known as
Lymphatic filariasis is caused by parasitic worms transmitted through the bites
of mosquitoes. The disease leads to severe swelling of the limbs and other body
parts making movement very difficult and social stigma.
Rashid Mwesigye, a medical entomologist
consultant at Sightsavers Uganda, a non-governmental organization fighting neglected
tropical diseases says most people still believe elephantiasis and hydrocele
diseases are caused by witchcraft or stepping on charms.
Mwesigye who is also a vector
control officer in Lira district notes that despite available treatment
options, such misconception have fueled reluctance among many patients to seek
for medical help leaving some to opt for traditional medicine instead.
Speaking at the Acholi Lymphatic
Filariasis Disease Management and Disability inclusion start up workshop in
Gulu city Tuesday, Mwesigye says most patients due to misconception have had deteriorating
health conditions which would have been easily treated.
//Cue in: “The biggest challenge…
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Mwesigye explains that the disease
is spread through the bites of infected anopheles’ species of mosquitoes which deposits
filarial parasitic worms to the skin which gradually enters the body and over
time causes damages to the lymphatic system.
According to him, for a person to
develop complications, they must have at least been beaten about 1,000 times by
infected mosquitoes adding that the acute complications usually show up between
7 to 10 years later.
//Cue in: “for you to…
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In Lira district, at least 447
cases of elephantiasis and hydrocele cases have been registered in six sub
counties with the highest burden recorded in barr sub county.
However, health workers say the
majority patients in such rural areas in district have had advancement in their
conditions due to reluctance.
Morris Odong, a resident of Abali
village in Barr Sub-county, Lira district is one of the elephantiasis patients
who confessed for relying on traditional treatment after being told by his
parents and relatives that he had been bewitched.
Odong’s condition started
with a swelling on his left leg in 2003 while he was 15 years-old but efforts
to diagnose it were unsuccessful including a scan conducted at Mulago National
Referral Hospital in 2006.
He said after returning from
Mulago National Referral Hospital, his father took him immediately to a
traditional healer but the condition of his leg kept worsening until 2024 when
he received care medical assistance. His leg had reached stage V, with painful open
wounds that prevented him from walking and working.
Luo bite
//Cue in: “An acako winyo…
Cue in:…te bedo pe.”//
Caroline Acen, 45, another recovering
patient noted that when she started experiencing swelling on her right leg, her
parents pointed out to a possible act of charms and immediately took her to get
medication from a traditional healer. Acen however noted that her conditions kept
deteriorating while using herbs until she was enrolled on proper medication.
Luo bite
//Cue in: “Two ni ockere…
Cue out:…pe tye maber.”//
Both Acen and Odong are among some
hundreds of patients from Lango Sub-region who have received medical treatment
and surgeries for complications from elephantiasis and hydrocele funded by Sightsavers
Uganda.
On Wednesday, the organization in
its bid to expand its operation in improving the quality of lives of people
with advanced lymphatic filariasis launched a new project that will benefit
patients and health workers in eight districts of Acholi and two others in Teso
Sub region.
The three years’ project worth
1.5 million Euro (approximately 7 billion shillings) will be implemented in the
districts of Omoro, Gulu, Nwoya, Amuru, Lamwo, Kitgum, Agago and Pader all in
Acholi, and Katakwi and Amuria in Teso Sub-region.
Dr Anthony Wani, the Country
Director Sightsavers Uganda Country Office explains that the project will targets
three key areas of health systems strengthening to handle complications of
Lymphatic Filariasis. Others he says are equipping health facilities to handle
diagnosis, assessment and conduct surgeries for Lymphoedema diseases, and
disease management and disability inclusion to fight misconception.
Dr Wani noted that through
conducting health education within the community, they expect patients to come
out willing for treatment without thinking that they are bewitched and deserve
traditional solutions.
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surgeries.”//
Through the project, an estimated
2,000 hydrocele patients are expected to receive surgeries while 2,339 patients
will be trained in lymphedema management. A total of 210 health workers and 982
community volunteers in the selected 10 districts will be trained on lympheodema
management, while 19 surgical teams for hydrocele surgery will be trained.
Acording to data from the Vector Control
Division at the Ministry of Health, a total of 4,997 cases of lympheodema and
6,464 cases of hydrocele have been listed in the Sub-regions of Teso, Lango and
Acholi.
Since 2019, the Ministry of
Health stopped mass drug administration for Lymphatic filariasis following no
new detection of cases.
