Malaria kills 33, diabetes 43 in Luwero during FY 2025/2026

During the 2025/2026 financial year, malaria tragically claimed the lives of at least 33 individuals in Luwero district, with over half of these fatalities occurring among children under the age of five.

The district's health report for the fiscal year 2025/26 indicated that out of the 33 malaria-related deaths, 18 were young children below five years old, while the remaining 15 were individuals aged five years and above.

Diabetes mellitus emerged as the primary cause of death, accounting for 43 lives, with malaria following as the second leading cause. Tuberculosis (TB) ranked third with 29 deaths, and urinary tract infections (UTIs) were responsible for 23 of the total 279 registered deaths that year.

Despite a general reduction in malaria deaths over recent years, both health officials and local leaders voiced ongoing concern regarding the persistent mortality caused by a disease that is both preventable and treatable.

The district recorded a significant decrease in malaria deaths from 99 in FY 2021/22 to 70 in 2022/23, then to 44 in 2023/24, and reaching a low of 26 in 2024/25. However, this positive trend reversed in 2025/26, with the number rising to 33 fatalities.

Confirmed malaria cases have also shown variability over time. In 2025/26, the district registered 189,881 cases, contrasting with 219,986 in 2020/21, 220,205 in 2021/22, 168,430 in 2022/23, 192,594 in 2023/24, and 217,420 in 2024/25.

Dr. Innocent Nkonwa, the Luwero district health officer (DHO), identified several factors contributing to these deaths, including delays in accessing medical care, inappropriate treatment methods, and patients seeking help at health facilities only after their conditions had severely worsened.

He further highlighted that this issue was particularly problematic for individuals suffering from other chronic diseases, as these conditions could complicate malaria infections.

Nkonwa explained that medical facilities had decided to conduct tests for malaria on every patient presenting with symptoms suggestive of the disease before considering other diagnoses.

The district is also enhancing its integrated community case management (iCCM) program, which enables community health extension workers to test and treat malaria patients in rural areas closer to their residences.

Robert Ssekitoleko, the Member of Parliament for Bamunanika County, acknowledged the district's progress in combating malaria but stressed the need to intensify public awareness campaigns on prevention.

Ssekitoleko appealed to residents to consistently use mosquito nets while sleeping and to adopt additional measures to reduce their exposure to mosquito bites.

Shaban Mulani Mukiibi, the LC III chairperson of Butuntumula sub-county, observed that some residents still opt for self-treatment or postpone seeking medical help due to the considerable distances to healthcare facilities.

He noted that these delays frequently allow infections to worsen, leading to complications and, in some instances, death. Mukiibi added that local council (LC1) leaders would soon oversee the distribution of mosquito nets to households across the sub-county's villages.

He conveyed his optimism that this distribution, combined with ongoing education on the correct usage of mosquito nets and prompt treatment, would contribute to a reduction in malaria infections and fatalities within the area.