Child with Cerebral palsy with severe motor impairment in a wheel chair, occupational therapist is on his left and caregiver is on his right demonstrating to the therapist what the child is able to do with his right hand
The largest study on Cerebral palsy in Africa to date reveals that interventions to prevent malaria infections such as the use of insecticide-treated mosquito nets, coupled with caregiver training and support, including best feeding practices and simple measures to prevent other infections, could potentially reduce mortality in children with Cerebral palsy in this region.The study found out that the main causes of death were malaria and aneamia. The children with severe malnutrition and severe motor impairments were the most likely to die.
Cerebral palsy (CP) is a developmental disorder and the most common cause of childhood physical disability globally. CP is significantly more prevalent in low-income and middle-income countries like Uganda where the researchers noted a lower prevalence in the older (8-17 years) than younger (2-7 years) age groups as demonstrated in the findings of an earlier study conducted in 2015. https://www.thelancet.com/journals/langlo/article/PIIS2214-109X(17)30374-1/fulltext
The decline in prevalence of children with CP with increasing age in the 2015 study, led the researchers to hypothesize about the risk of premature death in these children.
In order to get a better understanding of the situation, a follow-up study was carried out at the Iganga-Mayuge Health and Demographic Surveillance Site (IM-HDSS) in eastern Uganda. Earlier in 2015, the researchers had screened 31,756 children and identified 97 (aged 2–17 years) who were diagnosed as having CP. The children with CP were followed up to 2019 and compared with an age-matched sample of the IM-HDSS general non-CP population (n=41, 319). The rates and causes of deaths in these groups were determined.
The research team found that the rate of death was 25 times higher in the CP group than the general non-CP population sample. The mean age at death among the CP group was 10•2±5•9 years and 7•2±4•8 years among the general non-CP population sample. In the CP group, females and older children (10-18 years) had higher relative risks of death in relation to the non-CP general population. Significantly, in children with CP, there was an almost 7 times risk of death in those with severe motor impairments compared to those with milder ones. In addition, those with severe malnutrition had a more than 3 times higher risk of death than children without severe malnutrition. The causes of death were from common conditions like anemia, malaria and common infections.
The results of this study, are the first of its kind to reveal the true extent of the hidden humanitarian crisis of excessive mortality in the CP child population. Severe malnutrition as one of the risk factors of excessive mortality plays a dynamic multifaceted role, partly aggravated by severe oral motor impairments which lead to chewing and swallowing problems, and the need for special foods and prolonged feeding times. Furthermore, the age pattern for mortality in children with CP confirms this study’s hypothesis with many dying when approaching school age, compared to the non-CP general population. The probable reasons for this may be attributed to caregivers eventually losing hope as these children grow older when they realize that their child will not be cured, or alternatively as a result of the minimal time provided to the child with increasing age (including during supervised feedings), which increases their vulnerability.
The higher mortality among the females may suggest a preferential treatment of boys with CP in Uganda which needs further study. Finally, regarding the causes of death, the frequent occurrence of anemia as a cause of death may signify the interplay of the conditions of underlying malaria infections and severe malnutrition in severely impaired children with feeding problems.
A multipronged approach including raising awareness about this challenge should be emphasized locally and internationally to promote the development of appropriate health and advocacy policies. Although efforts to reduce child mortality are quite evident in the recent decades, targeted interventions to reduce mortality in the CP child population, such as the use of insecticide-treated mosquito nets to prevent malaria infections, provision of easy to use, locally available nutritious foods coupled with caregiver information and support should be encouraged. Reinforcement and regular review of the existing laws and policies related to their specific requirements should be enacted. In general, further research to identify long-term risk factors and immediate causes of death in children with developmental disabilities in the region is also urgently required
These findings are to be formally published in the journal ‘PLOS ONE’ and entitled: “Excessive premature mortality among children with cerebral palsy in rural Uganda: a longitudinal, population-based study”.
The intensive one-month course, running for the first time from June 5 to July 24, 2025, is jointly offered by Makerere University School of Public Health (MakSPH)’s Department of Community Health and Behavioural Sciences (CHBS) and the Department of Journalism and Communication (DJC) at the School of Languages, Literature, and Communication (SLLC), co-designed in 2024 with support from the Rockefeller Foundation through Amref Health Africa.
It seeks to equip healthcare providers at the community level, public health and environmental health practitioners, communication specialists, health educators, community development officers, social scientists, and policy makers, among others, with strategic communication skills to improve public health messaging, strengthen community engagement, and support evidence-based interventions, ultimately empowering participants to effectively engage communities and improve population health outcomes across Uganda and the region.
Launching the course, the heads of the Department of Journalism and Communication and the Department of Community Health and Behavioural Sciences noted that participants who complete the short course will gain practical tools to influence behaviour change, build trust, and deliver timely, accurate, and relevant health information to the communities they serve. The first cohort attracted more than 60 applicants, with 36 reporting for the opening in-person session on June 5, 2025, at MakSPH in Mulago. Between now and July, participants will undergo a hands-on, multidisciplinary learning experience within the Certificate in Health Communication and Community Engagement program, which combines theory and practice.
Among the participants in the first cohort of the certificate course, designed as a pilot for the anticipated Master of Health Promotion and Communication to be jointly offered by the two departments at Makerere University, is Ms. Maureen Kisaakye, a medical laboratory technologist specialising in microbiology and antimicrobial resistance (AMR), and currently pursuing a Master’s in Immunology and Clinical Microbiology at Makerere. She is driven by a passion to help reverse the rising tide of AMR, a growing global health threat where drugs that once worked are no longer effective. Kisaakye is particularly concerned about common infections, like urinary tract infections, becoming increasingly resistant and harder to treat.
“I enrolled in this course because I’m an advocate against antimicrobial resistance, and it came at a time when I needed to deepen my knowledge on how to implement our projects more effectively and engage with communities. The experience has broadened my understanding of AMR and its impact on society, and strengthened my passion for community-driven health initiatives and advocacy,” Kisaakye said, explaining why she enrolled for the short course.
Ms. Maureen Kisaakye (in white) during a youth-led community AMR and WASH awareness campaign in informal settlements in Kamwokya, Kampala, on 12th April, 2025.
Kisaakye’s work in antimicrobial resistance extends beyond the lab. Having earned her degree in medical laboratory science from Mbarara University of Science and Technology, she founded Impala Tech Research in 2024 to drive impact and save lives. She has led grassroots AMR campaigns that integrate antimicrobial stewardship with water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) education in underserved urban communities, including the informal settlements in Kampala. She also has since designed peer-led initiatives that empower university students as AMR Champions, building a network of informed youth advocates. Kisaakye believes the health communication course will sharpen her ability to design and deliver impactful, community-centred interventions in response to the growing threat of drug resistance.
“The department collaborates with many partners within and beyond the University, including the School of Public Health, where we are working to develop the subfield of health communication and promotion. Our goal is to train specialists in this area and build a community of practice, something we have each been doing in our own spaces. There’s a lot of work ahead, and COVID-19 showed us just how urgently we need a generation trained to do this kind of work, and to do it very well,” said Dr. Aisha Nakiwala, Head of the Department of Journalism and Communication, during the opening of the short course on June 5.
Dr. Aisha Nakiwala, Head of the Department of Journalism and Communication, underscored the partnership between DJC and MakSPH as a crucial step toward strengthening public health through strategic communication. June 5, 2025.
She assured participants they were in good hands and underscored the importance of the partnership between the Department of Journalism and Communication and the School of Public Health, describing it as a vital collaboration that brings together strategic communication and public health expertise. This dynamic, multidisciplinary approach, she noted, is essential to developing practical solutions that empower communities, strengthen health systems, and ultimately improve livelihoods.
The course offers a hands-on, multidisciplinary learning experience, with participants intended to explore key modules including Health Communication and Promotion, Risk Communication, Smart Advocacy, Community Mapping, Community Mobilisation and Empowerment, and Strategies for Community Engagement. The course combines theory with real-world application, and its assessment includes a field-based project and a final exam.
“You are our first cohort. We are seeing the fruits of our efforts in bringing this short course to life. It was born out of a joint initiative to develop a Master’s programme in Health Promotion and Communication,” said Dr. Christine Nalwadda, Head of the Department of Community Health and Behavioural Sciences. “We carried out extensive consultations with our different key stakeholders during the process and discovered a real need for such a course. It was the stakeholders who even named it; this course name didn’t come from us.”
For Kisaakye, by the end of the course in July, she hopes to have sharpened her skills in health promotion and strategic communication, particularly in crafting targeted messages that help individuals and communities effectively respond to threats such as antimicrobial resistance. She also aims to gain practical experience in designing, implementing, and evaluating community health initiatives that can strengthen her advocacy and drive lasting impact.
Dr. Marjorie Kyomuhendo, one of the course facilitators, engages Mr. Jackson Ssewanyana, a participant in the first cohort of the Certificate in Health Communication and Community Engagement, as Ms. Maureen Kisaakye listens in. June 5, 2025.
The Makerere University School of Public Health (MakSPH) is excited to invite researchers, professionals, and students to be part of an inspiring and impactful event!
Venue: School of Public Health Auditorium, Makerere University Main Campus Dates: August 7–8, 2025 Theme: “Understanding the burden and impact of injuries in East Africa to improve Emergency Care preparedness, mitigation, and response.”
Submit Your Abstracts Now!
Join the conversation that drives change in trauma and emergency care across East Africa. Share your research, innovations, and insights that can shape the future of healthcare response in our region.
Impact of Food Supplementation on Health, Growth, and Development for Stunted Children
We are seeking to appoint a full-time PhD Fellow to conduct a randomized controlled clinical trial (RCT) among 300 young children with stunting to assess the effect of Soy Lipid-based Nutrient Supplement with high versus low levels of antinutrients on growth and health of children on a DANIDA-supported project entitled “Climate-resilient soybean for improved growth and health of children in Uganda” (Healthy Soy). The PhD fellow will coordinate the RCT protocol development and its implementation, develop and nest his/her PhD protocol as part-of the RCT study. The PhD student will be hosted at the Child Health and Development Center School of Medicine College of Health Sciences, Makerere University. The PhD student will take part in literature review; designing, planning and conducting of studies; analysing results; writing reports and contributing to technical and policy briefs, journal articles and thesis; project management; organizing research seminars and stakeholder workshops; and guiding junior researchers and teaching. The PhD student will have access to online libraries, scientific databases and software for data analysis throughout their work. In addition, the student will be mentored by national and international researchers to develop scientific research and project management skills with three months stay in Denmark. By the end of the project, the selected candidate will have obtained significant competencies to explain the interactions between nutrition and health of children, growth and development. In addition, the student will gain skills in assessment of body composition, development and conduct of clinical trials design, scholarly writing and presentations, data analysis and interdisciplinary research.
Prospective candidates must:
Hold Masters in any of the following or equivalents: Human Nutrition, Dietetics, Public Health Nutrition, Medicine in Paediatrics and Child Health, Public Health or
Epidemiology with undergraduate training in Medicine and Surgery (MBChB/MBBS/MD).
Having publication experience will be an added advantage.
Be highly motivated and interested in pursuing rigorous research
Be committed to a long-term research career in Human Nutrition and Health
Be of untainted integrity
Be able to use different software for data analysis and graphics.
Successful fellow will be expected to:
Conduct high quality research leading to publications in high-impact journals (must be ready to work towards publishing a minimum of one quality paper per year).
Contribute to research capacity building including training of undergraduate and M.Sc. students in the host department.
The project will avail financial support to the successful PhD Fellow for 4 years. Funds will cover: PhD tuition for 4 years; monthly stipend; research supplies and reagents; conference participation and other research-related costs.
Interested applicants should send an application letter, motivation statement, two recommendation letters, CV and academic transcripts and certificates for all university qualifications in an email titled “PhD Fellowship Application – Healthy Soy Project” to chdc.desk@mak.ac.ug by 26th June 20205.
Female candidates are strongly encouraged to apply. Only shortlisted applicants will be contacted for interviews.