By Swift Reporter
The Ministry of Health has confirmed that four students from three schools in Kampala have died from severe malaria, while assuring the public that there is no evidence of a new or more dangerous strain of the disease circulating in Uganda.
Health Minister Dr. Chris Baryomunsi told Parliament on Wednesday that the fatalities involved two students from Makerere College School, one student from Mengo Senior School and one student from Gayaza High School.
The deaths, which sparked concern among parents and Members of Parliament, prompted the government to launch investigations into the cases amid fears that a new malaria variant could be responsible.
However, Baryomunsi dismissed the claims, saying scientific investigations have found no evidence of any new malaria parasite.
“On behalf of the Ministry of Health, I extend our deepest condolences to families, guardians, school communities and fellow learners of the four learners who have lost their lives. No parent should send a child to school and receive news of this nature,” Baryomunsi told Parliament.
He explained that the cases were limited to the Kampala Metropolitan Area, a region traditionally classified as having low malaria transmission, and should not be interpreted as a nationwide increase in severe malaria among school-going children.
According to the minister, Uganda’s routine genomic surveillance has consistently shown that Plasmodium falciparum, the parasite responsible for approximately 97 percent of malaria infections in the country, has remained unchanged for decades.
“Uganda routinely conducts genomic surveillance on circulating malaria parasites. This surveillance has not detected any change in the parasites currently circulating in the country,” Baryomunsi said.
He added: “Plasmodium falciparum, the parasite that causes malaria, has remained as it has been for decades. This accounted for 97 percent of the infections in Uganda. What has killed these learners is the same parasite that ordinarily causes malaria. It is not a new strain.”
The minister attributed the deaths to low immunity among children raised in areas with minimal malaria exposure.
He explained that unlike children growing up in high-transmission districts, many children in Kampala develop little natural immunity because they are exposed to malaria less frequently during childhood. Consequently, once infected, they can rapidly develop severe complications if treatment is delayed.
“An immunologically naive child can progress from first symptoms to severe malaria, including cerebral malaria and anaemia, within 24 hours and from severe malaria to death within two hours if emergency treatment is not accessed in time,” he warned.
In response to the fatalities, the Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Education have established a joint task force to investigate the incidents and assess the burden of malaria among school-going children.
Government has also initiated confidential investigations at the four affected schools, issued updated malaria prevention and management guidelines to schools nationwide, revived school health reporting systems, and started deploying nurses and other health workers to government schools.
Additionally, authorities are strengthening emergency referral systems to ensure learners who develop severe malaria receive prompt treatment.
The Ministry urged parents, schools and health workers to remain vigilant and seek immediate medical attention for children presenting symptoms such as high fever, persistent vomiting, convulsions, confusion or difficulty breathing, warning that severe malaria can become fatal within hours if left untreated.
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