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Understanding & Preventing Drowning in Uganda

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Drowning is the third leading cause of unintentional injury death; accounting for 7% of all injuries. Over 90% of the estimated 322,000 annual global drowning deaths occur in low-and middle-income countries. Although the burden of drowning is believed to be highest in the WHO-African region, data
collection and surveillance for drowning in African countries is limited. Drowning prevention strategies require adequate data on the burden and circumstances of drowning to help ensure data-driven prevention efforts. The World Health Organization recommends that all countries take steps to improve drowning data so that prevention strategies can be context-specific.

This report presents findings of a two-phased study that was conducted in 60 districts of Uganda for a period of 2.5 years (from January 1st, 2016 to June 30th, 2018). In the first phase, records concerning 1,435 drowning cases were found in the 60 study districts. Other than stating that the individual had drowned, there was very little information that could potentially guide prevention efforts.

The second phase was limited to only 14 of the initial 60 districts. In the 14 districts, a total of 2,066 drowning cases were identified by community health workers and confirmed through individual interviews with witnesses/family members/friends and survivors of drowning. Most (1,332; 64%) of these were deaths. Using the community approach, as opposed to official records, revealed more than three times the number of drowning deaths in the same 14 districts. Almost half of all people who drowned were engaged in an occupational activity at the time of the incident.

These results show that drowning is a major cause of premature death in Uganda, especially among young adults whose livelihoods depend on water activities. However, most drownings are preventable through policies and regulations that reduce exposure to drowning risk, and institution of interventions to ensure safety around water. Drowning is a multisectoral issue, and all stakeholders (local and national government, water transport, water sport, education, fishing, health, and law enforcement) should coordinate to develop a national water safety strategy and action plan. The strategy could address matters of leadership coordination, funding, advocacy, awareness raising, prioritization, target setting, and monitoring and evaluation.

Dr. Rhoda Wanyenze,
Professor & Dean, School of Public Health, Makerere University

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Mark Wamai

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MakSPH, DJC Launch Short Course on Health Communication

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The heads of the Department of Journalism and Communication and the Department of Community Health and Behavioural Sciences (centre) with participants from the first cohort of the Health Communication short course at Makerere University. June 5, 2025. Intensive one-month course on Health Communication, first cohort June 5 to July 24, 2025, 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), School of Languages, Literature, and Communication (SLLC), co-designed in 2024 with support from the Rockefeller Foundation through Amref Health Africa, Kampala Uganda, East Africa.

By Okeya John and Primrose Nabankema

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. Intensive one-month course on Health Communication, first cohort June 5 to July 24, 2025, 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), School of Languages, Literature, and Communication (SLLC), co-designed in 2024 with support from the Rockefeller Foundation through Amref Health Africa, Kampala Uganda, East Africa.
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 5th, 2025. Intensive one-month course on Health Communication, first cohort June 5 to July 24, 2025, 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), School of Languages, Literature, and Communication (SLLC), co-designed in 2024 with support from the Rockefeller Foundation through Amref Health Africa, Kampala Uganda, East Africa.
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. Intensive one-month course on Health Communication, first cohort June 5 to July 24, 2025, 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), School of Languages, Literature, and Communication (SLLC), co-designed in 2024 with support from the Rockefeller Foundation through Amref Health Africa, Kampala Uganda, East Africa.
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.

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John Okeya

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Call for Abstracts: 2nd East African Symposium and Expo on Trauma, Injuries, and Emergency Care – 2025

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Kickoff training for teams tasked with collecting data for the Uganda Population-Based HIV Impact Assessment (UPHIA) 2024-2025, held 19th May 2025, Makerere University School of Public Health (MakSPH) Auditorium, Main Campus, Kampala Uganda, East Africa.

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.

Submission Deadline: July 10, 2025
Submit here: triadcommunications@musph.ac.ug
Register to Attend: https://aapug.org/east-african-symposium-and-expo-on-trauma-injury-disability-and-emergency-care-2025/

Together, let’s drive change and improve lives through research and collaboration. Don’t miss this opportunity to make a difference!

Mak Editor

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Scholarship Opportunity: Impact of Food Supplementation

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Dr. Roselline Achola on Graduation day being welcomed by her teachers following her PhD award. 75th Graduation Ceremony, Day 2, CoBAMS, CHS and CoNAS. 14th January 2025, Freedom Square, Makerere University, Kampala Uganda, East Africa.

MAKERERE UNIVERSITY CHILD HEALTH AND DEVELOPMENT CENTER

PhD SCHOLARSHIP FELLOWSHIP TRAINING ADVERTISEMENT

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.

Mak Editor

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