Lyths in Uganda

dave.lyth@gmail.com helen.lyth@gmail.com

Wednesday 22 December 2010

Typhoid Epidemic


Wambale is an 8 year-old boy, currently in our ward struck down by typhoid. His intestine perforated and he underwent surgical removal of a section of his gut. He needed re-operation twice, and is still discharging faeces. Typhoid fever is a bacterium that is transmitted by the faecal-oral route. It affects millions in the world today, particularly in poor areas with a high-density population


These cases are the worst abdominal catastrophes that we ever encountered.” Are the words of three surgeons who worked in Kagando in decades past. But in those days it was perhaps 2 cases in a year. In the past 5 years there have been almost 500 cases (half children) operated on in Kagando, with about one in five dying. Many have endured months of suffering, with family, nurses and doctors doing their utmost before they died, as emaciated skeletons. Families have to sell their fields, their only financial asset to pay the hospital bills, causing further poverty and malnutrition.


Several volunteers, and one research group from Florida, USA worked on this outbreak. In the past 6 months a young American student, an Australian surgical trainee and myself formed a team that have got to the bottom of exactly ‘where’ and ‘why’ the disease is occurring. This week we start on ‘how many’ of the scores of patients with fever each week actually have typhoid, and not malaria. We then have an opportunity in March to present the work to Uganda’s Minister of Health, and to roll out the information to the community, with solutions on prevention.


For this we need about £500 for lab expenses (£3 per patient). If you would like to contribute, make a cheque to the ‘International Relief Fund’, marked Typhoid Research and send it to Vine Church, 131 Garvock Hill, Dunfermline. KY11 4JU, Scotland. Tel 01383-631001. (Gift Aid applies) Any excess money it will go to the ‘operating theatre extension’, which we are about to build in January, and for which we need funds.

Roof-raising in the mountains






Yesterday were co guests-of-honour at a fundraising event, to build the roof of a Sunday school room (the children currently meet in the open). For our first time we drove round the south of the Ruwenzoris, and 15 miles up the other side. The route took us high into the hills, ½ mile from the Congo. The last half hour was on foot. We went with our good friend Rev Asa, who was born there, and used to walk 21 miles round trip to school each day, together with 1,000 ft down and up!

Most villagers have no cash, so buying roof materials money must be raised from the wealthier, or from visitors. After a traditional Anglican service the congregation brought in every kind of produce that grows there, and chickens, ducks, guinea pigs, and goats. In the next 2 hours everything was auctioned. Helen auctioned a goat! We bought pineapples and sugar cane to be divided amongst the 200 children, and we carried home 2 chickens, and a pile of other food!

At the end of the day £400 was raised, which was within range of the target, so everyone was delighted. We were exhausted after an 11 hour day!