Diagnosis of Urinary Tract Infections (UTIs) in patients is worrying medics in the Teso sub region. UTIs are infections caused by bacteria, often from the skin or rectum that enter the urethra to infect the urinary tract. The infections affect several parts of the urinary tract especially the bladder, resulting into frequent and painful urine.
At Soroti Regional Referral Hospital, at least 20 patients are diagnosed with UTIs daily, according the Consultant Physician, Dr. Wilson Etolu. He says that most of the patients diagnosed with UTIs present with Lower Abdominal Pain, difficulty in passing urine among other complications.
Dr. Etolu says that UTIs are quite common these days in the health facilities compared to the past two years. He attributes the rise in UTIs to drug abuse especially from patients who do self- medication.
One of the patients from Asuret Sub County in Soroti district says that she has been diagnosed with UTIs more than six times in this year. She says that each time she treats UTI, there’s not much improvement after the first dose until she’s given another dose.
“Whenever I go to the health facility, they tell me to keep hygiene and the like, but all these things don’t really add up because I’m alone in my house,” she said. “I have been to different health facilities thinking that the first person didn’t manage my case well.”
Dr. Etolu says that they are conducting studies at different levels of health service provision and management to ascertain the best remedies for UTIs in different localities.
In Serere district, UTIs are among the five leading diseases affecting the communities, according the Dr. Daniel Ogwal, the Acting Serere District Health Officer. The district is most affected by malaria followed by diarrhea and cough/pneumonia.
However, Dr. Etolu says that says that diabetes and hypertension are also on the rise across Teso sub region.
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