A group of over 100 scientists convened on Monday at the Sheraton Hotel in Kampala to share experiences on nodding disease that continues to haunt children in Northern Uganda.
The experts from the U.S Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), World Health Organization (WHO), Non-Governmental Organisations and local doctors will hold discussions around the disease to try and trigger the first discovery of the cure or vaccine.
Nodding disease broke out in 2003 and has registered 3,094 cases to date in the areas of Lamwo, Gulu, Oyam and Lira.
The meetings are expected to review findings from research already completed by CDC Uganda before agreeing on key strategies to be implemented to address the problem.
Nodding disease syndrome is a neurological condition that affects children of 5-15 years causing progressive nodding, mental retardation, stunted growth and system dysfunction. The disease has for a long time been associated with river blindness due to the proximity of the affected areas to fast flowing rivers of Aswa and Pager.
Aswa County MP Reagan Okumu says health centers gazetted for nodding disease victims are dilapidated and government still has more to do beyond this conference.
//Cue in: “The health centers….
Cue out:……how can that help.”//
Health minister Christine Ondoa, however, says government is doing its best to avert further spread of the disease and that all their efforts are geared towards preventing the spread of the disease.
The summit will be the first of its kind in Africa on solving mysterious disease as pointed out by WHO.
