Jane Ruth Aceng the Minister of Health has urged districts with leprosy patients to prioritize disease prevention and conduct thorough contact tracing to identify and screen close contacts.
Speaking at the Annual TB & Leprosy Stakeholders Conference in Entebbe, Aceng emphasized the importance of tackling leprosy, citing 489 new cases reported last year, with 18% displaying grade 2 disability and 14% being children.
Aceng added that although leprosy was eliminated as a public health problem, the persistence of new cases underscores the need for continued efforts.
She called on stakeholders to ensure the availability of supplies, especially medicines, for TB and leprosy treatment.
Uganda remains among the 30 TB/HIV high-burden countries worldwide, with an estimation of 249 new cases a day contributing significantly to mortality and morbidity.
In 2022, TB ranked among the top 10 causes of institutional deaths in Uganda’s health sector, with 94,457 incident TB cases reported.
The Minister recognized local governments for their past performance and reiterated the Ministry’s advocacy for TB & Leprosy funding from both government and partners.
Under the theme “Advancing Science, Finance, and Innovation for accelerated TB and Leprosy Response,” WHO Uganda’s Dr. Yonas Tengegn commended the government’s progress in achieving some targets.
CSO’s representative Dr. Joseph Kawuma acknowledged support from the National TB and Leprosy Program, urging more efforts to create an enabling environment for their activities.
Executive Director of KNCV TB Foundation, Dr. Gidado Mustapha, emphasized the importance of community engagement and access to preventive treatment.
He advocated for efficiency, public-private partnerships, and engaging foundations to enhance the fight against TB.
The conference aimed to urgently end the TB epidemic and achieve zero leprosy cases in Uganda.