The disease profile of poverty: morbidity and mortality in northern Uganda in the context of war, population displacement and HIV/AIDS
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Date
2005
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Transactions of the Royal Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene
Abstract
The population of Gulu District (northern Uganda) has been severely incapacitated
by war, epidemics and social disruption. This study is aimed at describing
disease patterns and trends in this area through a retrospective analysis of discharge
records for 155 205 in-patients of Lacor Hospital in the period 1992—2002. The burden
of infectious diseases in childhood is overwhelming, with malaria accounting for
the steepest increase in admissions. Admissions for war-related injuries and malnutrition
fluctuated with the intensity of the war and the severity of famine. Emerging
and re-emerging infections, such as HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis and Ebola, accounted
for a heavy disease burden; however, there has been a trend for admissions related
to HIV/AIDS and tuberculosis to decrease since the implementation of communitybased
services. Vulnerable groups (infants, children and women) accounted for 79.8%
of admissions. Long-term war, population displacement, the collapse of social structures
and the breakdown of the health system place people at a much greater risk
of persistent, emerging and re-emerging infectious diseases, malnutrition and warrelated
injuries, shaping the ‘disease profile of poverty’. Most of the disease burden
results from infectious diseases of childhood, whose occurrence could be dramatically
reduced by low-cost and effective preventive and curative interventions.
Description
Keywords
Disease burden, Poverty, War, Population displacement, Epidemics, Uganda
Citation
Accorsi, S., Fabiani, M., Nattabi, B., Corrado, B., Iriso, R., Ayella, E. O., ... & Declich, S. (2005). The disease profile of poverty: morbidity and mortality in northern Uganda in the context of war, population displacement and HIV/AIDS. Transactions of the Royal Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene, 99(3), 226-233. doi:10.1016/j.trstmh.2004.09.008