Ministry of Health to Declare New National Nutrition Emergency as Malnutrition Rates Spike in Karamoja and Busoga
Kampala,Uganda
The Ministry of Health is reportedly preparing to issue a National Nutrition Emergency Declaration following new internal surveys showing a spike in acute malnutrition cases in parts of Karamoja, Teso, and Busoga.
Preliminary data indicates that several districts have crossed the 15% emergency threshold, especially among children under five.
Officials attribute the surge to prolonged drought pockets, rising food prices, and a decline in household income across semi-arid communities. Health centers in the North-East are already reporting shortages of therapeutic food.
International partners, including UNICEF and WFP, are expected to support emergency procurement once the declaration is issued.
Why It Matters:
Malnutrition puts long-term national human-capital development at risk.
An emergency declaration will unlock rapid funding and logistics.
The situation could expand if drought intensifies.
What to Watch:
Whether the government activates rapid nutrition response teams.
The scale of emergency food and medical aid deployment.
Longer-term resilience plans for drought-hit regions.
