Government of Uganda through the Ministry of Health and Government of Egypt have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on Larval Source Management (LSM) in a bid to control Malaria in the country.
The deal is premised on the background that Ministry of Health is promoting Integrated Vector Management (IVM) approach to complement the existing interventions in the reduction of Malaria transmission.
The MOU covers major areas of cooperation including; Setup of a local production unit to produce larvicides and other public health products which will increase the Government capacity to cover more districts and reduce the budget burdens incurred while importing the products.
According to Health minister Dr. Jane Ruth Aceng, the MOU will also provide sponsorship and grant opportunities for young scientists among other industrial capacity building and technology transfer activities.
The LSM program under this MOU is expected to run in Northern and Western Regions in 2019/2020 protecting over 15 million Ugandans. Plans are underway to cover the whole country within a three 3 year period.
“This cooperation comes under mutual agreements signed following the meeting between the President of Uganda, HE President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni and the President of Egypt, HE President AbdulFattah Sisi. Larval Source Management was revived in Uganda following a directive by the President of Uganda to control Malaria” the minister said.
Malaria is the leading, most widespread and serious communicable diseases in Uganda. It is a major public health problem, and is endemic in approximately 95% of the country; the remaining 5% is prone to malaria epidemics mainly highland areas of South-western Uganda, the Ruwenzori and Elgon Mountain ranges.
Larval Source Management (LSM) is one of the major strategies for Malaria control under the National Malaria Control Program (NMCP) in Uganda.
This newly added intervention is expected to protect and reduce malaria burden among the vulnerable-groups especially pregnant women, children under 5 years of age and school going children.
In his speech, the Egyptian Ambassador to Uganda H.E Mohamed Tarek Salam said that Signing today's MOU is one of the forms of beneficial cooperation in the field of Health between our two countries.
“We hope that by signing today's MoU another great step is taken in this direction to contaminate and fight Malaria and to save more lives of Ugandans as a goal set by the Ministry of Health of the Republic of Uganda under the instructions of H.E President Museveni” he added.
