Browsing by Author "Kabonesa, Consolata"

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    Primary school children’s perspectives on common diseases and medicines used: implications for school healthcare programmes and priority setting in Uganda
    (African health sciences, 2007) Akello, Grace; Reis, Ria; Ovuga, Emilio; Rwabukwali, Charles B.; Kabonesa, Consolata; Richters, Annemiek
    Existing school health programmes in Uganda target children above five years for de-worming, oral hygiene and frequent vaccination of girls of reproductive age. Objective: To assess primary school children’s perspectives on common diseases they experience and medicines used in order to suggest reforms for school healthcare programmes and priority setting. Methods: Rapid appraisal approaches, triangulated with a survey, using a semi-structured questionnaire with 80 children aged 8-15 years, were used in data collection. This was done during a three months fieldwork in one primary boarding school in Kampala. An investigation was made into perspectives of children on their recent illness experiences and medicines they used to recover. Other techniques in data collection included participant observation and eliciting children’s narratives of diseases they experienced in a two weeks recall. Key informants, who included school teachers, a nurse, 2 paediatricians, 4 matrons and private health service providers in the vicinity of the school, were approached to validate children’s narratives. Results: Children named and ranked malaria as the most severe and frequently experienced disease. Other diseases mentioned included diarrhoea, skin fungal infections, flu, and typhoid. The symptoms children recognised in case of illness were high body temperature, vomiting, headache, weakness, appetite loss and diarrhoea. Children were either given medicines by the school nurse or they selfmedicated using pharmaceuticals including chloroquine, panadol, flagyl, fansidar, quinine injections, capsules (amoxicillin and ampicillin) obtained from the clinics, drug shops, pharmacies, and other unspecified indigenous medicines from their home and markets. Conclusion: The healthcare needs and priorities of children in primary school are infectious diseases which they could readily identify.
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    Social Dynamics of Ebola Virus Disease: A Case of Bundibugyo District, Uganda
    (Health, 2019) Kankya, Clovice; Nabadda, Daisy; Kabonesa, Consolata; Nyakarahuka, Luke; Muleme, James; Okware, Samuel; Asaba, Richard
    Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) presents with a high global mortality and is known to be a highly infectious disease with devastating and gendered effects on the social fabric, yet most of the science has focused on the disease’s biology. However, little has been documented with regard to the gender and social aspects of Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) in two sub counties (Kikyo and Bundibugyo Town Council) in Bundibugyo District in Western Uganda. The study was set to examine the gender differences in the level of knowledge, attitudes and perceptions about EVD. Methods: The study employed a cross-sectional design using both quantitative and qualitative data collection methods. A structured questionnaire was administered to 254 respondents, 50% of whom were women. Simple random sampling was used to select the participants. Questionnaire data were analysed using SPSS at univariate and bivariate levels. Qualitative methods such as key informant interviews (with 6 participants) and Focus Group Discussions (three, one with men alone, another with women alone and the last one with both men and women) were also used to collect additional information from participants. Results: The findings indicated that socio-demographically, the majority (35%) of the respondents were aged between 20 and 29 years, 53% of whom were females. More women (about 56%) compared to men (44%) attained secondary education while more men (about 51% versus 49% of the women) reported that they were married. In terms of religion, the majority of the survey participants were Catholics (59% females and 49% males). With regard to communities’ knowledge about EVD, there was no significant relationship between men and women in terms of prior knowledge about EVD, risk factors and control measures. However, slightly more males (about 51%) than females (49%) had heard about EVD and more males (about 52%) than females (48%) admitted that they were at risk of contracting the disease. On the control measures, slightly more females than males (about 53% vs. 47% respectively) proposed avoiding contact with infected persons. The results further revealed that more males (about 51%) than females (49%) were willing to relate with EVD survivors, and this was due to the latter’s fear of contracting the disease. The major devastating effects of EVD that were reported included loss of lives, disruption of peoples movements, isolation of people, disruption of children’s school activities, stigma and discrimination of survivors. More females (about 52%) than males (about 48%) reported that EVD survivors were discriminated during the EVD outbreak in Bundibugyo District. Conclusions: This study has shown that whereas both men and women demonstrate average knowledge about EVD, there is need for more training and sensitization targeting women who have delusions about the severity of the disease, its risk factors, stigma and the integration of survivors in the affected communities. Communities also need to be sensitized about the gender roles that increase both the burden of EVD and the risk of men and women contracting the disease. This will lead to more culturally sensitive responses to EVD outbreaks in future.