Dear sisters and brothers, I have missed so much on the forum due to advertisers spamming my emanil and sometimes blocking good emails getting through.
I want to start by telling you brothers and sisters a sad story back from early 1990. A youngman from Burundi registered himself in a nurse traininng school at University of Ottawa, Ontario to study bachelor of sicence in nursing. In Ontario, the goverment has a policy of testing all health science students of communicable diseases as the students will be working in public health. Unfortunattely, the youngman tested positive for hepatitis C, the bad knews forced him to drop out of the university and he attempted suicide with drug over doze. To his fortune, the youngman had a close friend from West Nile who saved his life. The guy was treated and today he is still living and rasing a happy family in Van Couver. The reason I am bring this case is to let people who are criticising vaccination understand that VACCINATING THE POPULATION IN WEST NILE REGION AGAINST HEPATITIS IS NOT POLITICS BUT A MATTER OF PUBLIC HEALTH THREATENING OVER FIVE MILLION PEOPLE. WOULD YOU RATHER WAIT TO GET SICK AND STRUGGLE TO FIND TREATMENT OR WOULD YOU RATHER PREVENT GETTING SICK? Given poor healthcare delivery services in the region, it is very easy for Hepatitis to be transmitted from - a patient who is ailing and often being treated for malaria that is never going away - a health care professional who does not know he/she is hepatitis carrier - Poor hygiene in the isolation wards in the hospitals or health centers Therefore, addressing the issue of hepatitis prevalence requires concerted effort and engagement of MoH officials. There are a lot of experience doctors from this region including the Minister of Health. We need to engage these people in a mammer that attracts their attention. WHO has a roster of diseases that are emerging again after disappearing for 50 years such as TB, Polio, Guinea Worms, etc. If you have the time, you can research more on the WHO web site. This community should be very greatful to have people like Christine Munduru who is very vigilant on health issue. A good health is the greatest asset anyone can have in life. Leadership is all about problem solving. As a leader, when you see bad things happening, mobilize the population, lets talk about the problem and find corrective actions/solutions to fix the problem. JJ On Tue, May 27, 2014 at 4:18 AM, <westnilenet-requ...@kym.net> wrote: > Send WestNileNet mailing list submissions to > westnilenet@kym.net > > To subscribe or unsubscribe via the World Wide Web, visit > http://orion.kym.net/mailman/listinfo/westnilenet > or, via email, send a message with subject or body 'help' to > westnilenet-requ...@kym.net > > You can reach the person managing the list at > westnilenet-ow...@kym.net > > When replying, please edit your Subject line so it is more specific > than "Re: Contents of WestNileNet digest..." > > > Today's Topics: > > 1. Re: Update on Hepatitis B campaign (Cliff Richard Edekibo) > > > ---------------------------------------------------------------------- > > Message: 1 > Date: Tue, 27 May 2014 12:16:19 +0300 > From: Cliff Richard Edekibo <cliffedekiborich...@gmail.com> > To: A Virtual Network for friends of West Nile <westnilenet@kym.net>, > cmund...@g.mail.com > Subject: Re: [WestNileNet] Update on Hepatitis B campaign > Message-ID: > <CABus500VKHL-4kiq= > hq1+m0fp96uiguslu_uhbheeyrwpe_...@mail.gmail.com> > Content-Type: text/plain; charset="utf-8" > > Dear Christine, > Thank you for the feed back, humbly go ahead to include me for these > discussions and let me know of the venue and time ie schedule. > Looking forward to working together towards this noble cause which is > alarming. God bless your efforts. > Cliff > > > On Mon, May 26, 2014 at 12:38 PM, Christine Munduru <cmund...@gmail.com > >wrote: > > > Dear Cliff, just calm down, we cannot do without such people. For me > their > > negative energy is actually a driving force. > > We are moving ahead with the few interested and we have formed a > technical > > committee in Entebbe who from last Friday is going to sit every Friday to > > chat a way forward. I am going to include dr. Aldo in the group, please > > feel free to let me know if you want to be part. A month ago I was in a > > Conference in Connecticut, US and I was impressed by one presenter from > New > > York times who said that change is caused by the few people who are > > considered "abnormal" at the edges of the normal distribution curve, the > > rest in the middle who consider themselves "normal" are resistant to > change > > and if you want to cause change, dont waste your time and energy on them. > > I love this principle, so let us not dwell on people who drive alot of > > negative energy and yet they cannot move anything. Otherwise we shall > just > > be empty tins making too much noise for nothing. > > > > Blessed day > > Christine > > > > > > On Sun, May 25, 2014 at 8:06 AM, Cliff Richard Edekibo < > > cliffedekiborich...@gmail.com> wrote: > > > >> Dear Westnilers, > >> Humble condolences to the loss of lives of our people that succumbed to > >> Hepatitis B and sympathies to all people living with this Infectious > >> disease including my sister who was recently diagnosed who ended in > Mulago > >> Hospital. Given our health situations that cant even offer basic > laboratory > >> investigation of Viral load for Hep and Vulnerability of lobbying power > >> among > >> westnilers, I would like to bring your attention to a recent situation > >> where the police stopped a planned Hepatitis Walk which was organized > early > >> this year at mulago hospital after required legal preparations were > >> approved... What is Govt"s Level of Commitment and attitude in fighting > >> this scourge? I want reiterate and echo on Aldo's Comments especially > the > >> frustrations we encountered as WEFAD during the community awareness > >> compaign in Arua last year. I think as westnilers, we should focus on > >> affirmative unity for sustainable development than procrastination as > many > >> of us always advocate towards sabotaging good initiatives for regional > >> development. Please can we change our attitudes towards each other as > God > >> WILL never descend from Heaven to FIX our destiny. Thank you for these > >> concerns, looking forward to working together as we should I think start > >> exposing saboteurs in this region. > >> Let us stop behaving like Bottled Grasshoppers. > >> Bravo Westniler > >> Cliff > >> > >> > >> On Fri, May 23, 2014 at 12:35 PM, burua aldo <burua...@yahoo.co.uk > >wrote: > >> > >>> Dear Christine > >>> > >>> Thanks for the efforts. > >>> > >>> This is certainly a wakeup call and as I read through your mail, I > >>> feel your concern and the frustration in trying to move a noble cause > for > >>> our people. > >>> > >>> The burden of hepatitis in WestNile is real. Many have probably lost or > >>> has a close relative/ friend suffering from the disease. I lost two > >>> colleagues recently from my former workplace in Kuluva hosp. > >>> > >>> The whole problem requires a systematic approach involving the local > >>> leaders from the region and the technocrats. Individual and small group > >>> efforts has often times ended up overwhelming to the initiators and > >>> frustrating as well. I remember in April 2012, we organized a cancer > cervix > >>> and hepatitis B screening exercise in Arua, under the West Nile Forum > for > >>> Health and Development (WEFHAD). The intention was to sensitize and > promote > >>> early screening but the turn up was so big and overwhelming. We were > also > >>> not prepared for the further care for those who tested positive for > Hep B. > >>> > >>> The situation of hepatitis is worrying. people need to be sensitized > and > >>> screened so that those found with the disease are referred for > appropriate > >>> care. We should not relent on the vaccination drive as this may prove > to > >>> be the long term solution to the problem. > >>> > >>> I will love to join in these efforts where possible. Please let me > >>> know when the next meeting is > >>> > >>> Regards, > >>> Aldo > >>> On Thursday, 22 May 2014, 12:03, Christine Munduru < > cmund...@gmail.com> > >>> wrote: > >>> > >>> > >>> > >>> Dear members, I hope this finds you well. With concern, I note the > death > >>> of our former youth MP for Northern Uganda due to Hepatitis B, my > >>> condolences and may his soul rest in peace. Those of us who were on > campus > >>> in politics at the time the first youth MPs were elected remember him > well. > >>> His death is one of those many lives we are losing due to Hepatitis B > in > >>> the region. Last month, we lost a PhD student of Makerere University > due to > >>> the same disease. How many have we lost that are not even heard of? > These > >>> have caused a hole in my heart and made me write this email.The most > >>> painful thing is this disease is preventable and has a vaccine which > is not > >>> accessible. Even a mere information sheet is not available for people > >>> Our main concern: The disease is most concentrated in Eastern, Northern > >>> and West Nile in that order. Many lives are going.The disease is > sexually > >>> transmitted and other methods just like HIV but more infectious than > HIV > >>> whose national prevalence is 7% but Hep B is 10.3% and has not been > given > >>> attention. > >>> > >>> I want to state categorically clear here that this is not my job, i am > >>> volunteering my time and resources because I am very concerned as a > public > >>> health person and I have no political ambitions as people have been > >>> alleging. These are detractors and we should leave them alone. > >>> > >>> > >>> I want to update you on how far we have moved, may be this can motivate > >>> some of you to join the struggle. > >>> > >>> 1.We registered a formal concern to the Minister of Health as members > of > >>> Science cafe Uganda(Draecabo Charles, Okuti Richard and Munduru > Christine). > >>> This was well supported by West Nile Foundation, thanks to Ejiku and > Caleb > >>> for mobilizing the team and the individuals who supported. > >>> 2. we managed to push MoH to action and constituted a taskforce which > >>> sits every wednesday at MoH chaired by commissioner clinical services > >>> 3. We officially launched the awareness campaign in West Nile(Arua) on > >>> 20th December 2013. > >>> 4. we produced the first brochure for hepatitis B in Uganda which was > >>> printed free by Aceku Stephen, launched by Minister of health in the > person > >>> of dr. Amandua Jacinto, commissioner clincal services in Arua. > >>> 5. We now have a draft strategy for Hepatitis B which is being > finalized > >>> by technical team. > >>> 6. Government finally made a committment in parliament and has earmaked > >>> some funds for Hepatitis B campaign > >>> 7. 14 districts were chosen by the technical team to receive the first > >>> vaccines that may soon arrive(about 4-5months time) in the country. > The 14 > >>> districts were purely chosen based on the prevalence of the disease got > >>> from the 2004 sero survey data. > >>> 8. there are about 36 doses of the vaccines currently lying in NMS and > >>> this was agreed by the task force to be taken to West Nile where the > >>> awareness was first launched but awaits some technical decisions to be > taken > >>> All these have happened because three of us with support of West Nile > >>> Foundation have been pushing and if we pull out now, the way I see > things > >>> in MoH, all these may fall on the way. Even the available vaccines will > >>> expire in NMS. > >>> > >>> challenges > >>> 1. To date, the road map of how the vaccines will be delivered has not > >>> been agreed by the technical team at MoH > >>> 2. No budget for Hepatitis B has been included in the next financial > >>> year of MoH, meaning even if the vaccines come, MoH will say there are > no > >>> funds to deliver them and they may lie idle but with pressure, > something > >>> can happen > >>> 3. Of late I have been the available person to attend the meetings, > >>> others have got committments and when I am taken up, when I am taken > up by > >>> my official job duties, no representation from the region who is mainly > >>> pushing the issues and nothing moves ahead. > >>> > >>> what we can do > >>> 1. we need more people, especially technical people to attend the > >>> meetings because discussions need people who are informed about the > >>> disease, can debate from informed point. In the meetings, people also > have > >>> their own interests to push for so if ours not represented? > >>> 2. We need mass support behind the technical team to push for the > issues > >>> as a region > >>> 3.Both the technical team and advocacy body should push for the > >>> available vaccines to be taken to the agreed districts. This will put > >>> government on pressure as other regions will start demanding. If we > dont do > >>> this, government will go to sleep again, yet the fact is people are > dying, > >>> govt is aware but chooses otherwise. > >>> > >>> I call upon all of us to be concerned and join the struggle. I would be > >>> happy if West Nile Foundation as our bigger umbrella maintains the > support > >>> and calls a meeting to bring people on board to discuss this more for > >>> bigger actions > >>> We also have West Nile Medical practitioners Association( am not sure > if > >>> this is the correct name but I know something close to this exists), > can > >>> they join the struggle and use their expertise to help their people and > >>> many others who have the good will to join and save lives of our > people. > >>> > >>> Somebody was making a presentation to west Nilers and said 3 categories > >>> of people "1.there are people who make things happen;2. there are > those who > >>> see how things happen 3. those who wonder how things happen" and he > went > >>> ahead to say West Nilers are the people who wonder how things happen. > I am > >>> in category no 1. Do you want to be as he has said? At first the three > of > >>> us were told "who are these West Nilers to think they can move MoH to > act, > >>> we disproved them. If you are a positive thinker, please join us but > >>> negative thinker hold on. > >>> > >>> > >>> Sorry for the long email > >>> Christine Munduru > >>> > >>> _______________________________________________ > >>> WestNileNet mailing list > >>> WestNileNet@kym.net > >>> http://orion.kym.net/mailman/listinfo/westnilenet > >>> > >>> WestNileNet is generously hosted by INFOCOM http://www.infocom.co.ug/ > >>> > >>> The above comments and data are owned by whoever posted them (including > >>> attachments if any). 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