Kitagwenda MP Seeks Urgent Action After Suspected Dog Attacks Kill Two Children

What the report says

Kitagwenda County MP Robert Mugabe has pressed the Ugandan government to respond urgently after suspected stray dog attacks in Kanara Sub-county, Kitagwenda District, were reported to have killed two children and badly injured another. In Parliament on Thursday, he called on the Ministries of Agriculture and Health to work together to stop the roaming dogs, protect residents and livestock, and ensure affected families receive help.

According to the report, the deaths involved children aged between six and 10, while a five-year-old child is being treated for serious injuries. The incidents have been reported in several areas, including Kigarama, Kabirizi I and II, and Kanara Central, where residents say stray dogs have become a continuing threat.

The health response has also come under scrutiny. Steven Akampwera, who heads Kanara Health Centre III, said the facility had seen two adult dog-bite patients and referred them to Rukunyu Hospital in Kamwenge District because it did not have anti-rabies medicines. That shortage has raised concerns about whether nearby facilities can handle more cases if attacks continue.

Dog bites can carry a risk of rabies, a disease that is usually fatal once symptoms appear. As a general public health matter, suspected rabies exposures require prompt wound washing and urgent medical assessment, though the article did not say whether the children’s injuries were confirmed rabies cases. The ministries had not publicly responded at the time of publication.