Malaria kills 33 in Luwero as diabetes claims 43

What the report says

Luwero district’s health report for the 2025/2026 financial year shows that malaria caused 33 deaths, with children under five making up 18 of those cases. The same report says diabetes mellitus was the leading cause of death in the district, with 43 fatalities, followed by tuberculosis at 29 and urinary tract infections at 23, out of 279 deaths recorded during the year.

The Observer reported that the malaria toll rose from 26 deaths in 2024/25 to 33 in 2025/26, after a larger decline in earlier years. The district had recorded 99 malaria deaths in 2021/22, 70 in 2022/23 and 44 in 2023/24. Confirmed malaria cases also varied across recent years, with 189,881 cases reported in 2025/26.

District health officer Dr Innocent Nkonwa said some deaths were linked to delayed care, poor treatment practices and patients arriving when illness had already worsened, especially among people with other chronic conditions. He said health facilities were moving to test all patients with malaria-like symptoms before diagnosing other illnesses.

Local leaders said prevention efforts still need to improve. According to The Observer, they pointed to mosquito-net use, community sensitisation, expanded testing and integrated community case management as ways to reduce infections and deaths, particularly in rural areas where access to health facilities can be limited.