Urgent Action to curb COVID to people and gorillas

CTPH GlobalGiving report, March 2022 

This report outlines activities Conservation Through Public Health (CTPH) has implemented during the period December 2021 to March 2022 as part of the GlobalGiving project “Urgent Action to curb COVID to people and gorillas (#52950)”. 

During the first quarter, the project raised $2,965 (9.9%) of the $30,000 goal from 16 donors including three monthly donors. In the second quarter of the project, $17,321.41 (57.7%) of the $30,000 goal has been raised from 47 donors, including four monthly donors. 

What we have done. 

After launching the Village COVID-19 Taskforces (VCTFs) in July 2021, CTPH provided all VCTF committees with Home Based Care (HBC) equipment including pulse oximeters, infrared thermometers and PPE. CTPH also tasked all members to record patients under HBC in their respective Villages in the 8 frontline parishes bordering Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, home to half of the world’s remaining mountain gorillas. 

In March 2022, CTPH Community Health and Conservation Field Officer, Sharon Akampurira, visited all 59 Village COVID-19 Taskforce committees to gather reports on COVID-19 cases, patients under HBC, patients under HBC referred to hospitals, patients discharged from HBC and deaths under HBC compiled by VCTF coordinators and also to check on how they are coping with the everchanging COVID-19 situation.  

Figures 1 and 2 (below) show a summary of the data collected by VCTF members in each parish from December 2021 to February 2022. From a total of 255 patients under HBC, three patients were referred to the nearest health facilities for further treatment, 254 patients recovered and were discharged and one person in Buremba parish, Hakikome village, sadly passed away.                    

Reactions from some of the VCTF members 

In the Northern Sector of Bwindi, VCTF members were hugely appreciative of the training they received and the supply of COVID-19 commodities from CTPH which made their work, which includes COVID-19 contact tracing, much more manageable. 

“We were very happy to see the number of COVID-19 cases in our villages reduce due to our interventions. This made us motivated to do more work” said Mr. Geoffrey Kwesiga from Mukono parish. 

“The temperature guns supplied to us assisted greatly whenever there was a gathering of any kind in our villages such as weddings and burials. We could record the temperature of each person and those with high temperature could not be admitted” added Mrs. Leomeria Kyomuhendo from Muramba Parish. 

The VCTFs have also played a key role in mobilizing people to get vaccinated during the ongoing government of Uganda mass COVID-19 vaccination campaign. 

In January 2022, Uganda fully opened the economy and ended curfew; schools are now open and all public gatherings are allowed. We have noticed relaxation from some sections of the public where some people are no longer following Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) such as mask wearing and social distancing, thinking that COVID-19 is no longer a problem. Because of this, CTPH plans to hold a refresher training with all the 59 VCTF committees to build their capacity to continue encouraging people to follow SoPs and spread awareness about the impacts of extended negligence in following the SOPs. 

We are very grateful to our partners – Ministry of Health, Uganda Wildlife Authority, the Local Governments of Kanungu and Kisoro District, local leaders, Village Health and Conservation Teams and other members of the local community, for all their support. 

We would like to greatly thank GlobalGiving and all the amazing individual donors who have contributed to this project. Their support to the Village COVID taskforces has made a huge difference in reducing the severity of COVID-19 among people, which has in turn prevented the spread of COVID-19 from people to endangered mountain gorillas.

Links:

• Visit our website for latest information

• Data as collected by VCTF committees_Feb 2022 (XLSX)

Conservation Through Public Health (CTPH) launched the project, ‘Urgent Action to curb COVID to people and gorillas’ to raise funds to train community volunteers - Village Health and Conservation Teams (VHCTs) and Village COVID-19 Taskforce committees (including health officials, wildlife managers, local leaders, schools and religious institutions) - to increase community awareness on COVID-19 and support COVID-19 mitigation and prevention, including by promoting and improving access to vaccination, through peer-to-peer social behaviour chance communication.

This project was initiated at a time when Uganda was experiencing its second, much more severe, wave of COVID-19 and the Ministry of Health in Uganda introduced Home Based Care (HBC) for all non-emergency COVID-19 cases to be implemented at household level through Village COVID-19 Taskforces (VCTFs).

As a member of the Ministry of Health COVID-19 Taskforce, CTPH has been supporting HBC implementation and other COVID-19 responses in Kanungu and Kisoro Districts around Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, home to half of the world’s remaining endangered mountain gorillas, to reduce the spread of COVID-19 amongst people and from people to mountain gorillas which, with 98% the same DNA as humans, are very susceptible to COVID-19 infection.

The key role of the VCTFs is to support community surveillance and case detection, including deaths.

Other roles include the following:

• Community case management including supporting self-isolation, community-based drug distribution and referrals as appropriate
• Supporting Home Based Care of COVID-19 cases with mild to moderate (non-emergency) symptoms
• COVID-19 contact tracing and management
• Community shielding of vulnerable members
• Strategic communication, creating awareness and supporting information and education to improve COVID-19 awareness and knowledge levels
• Maintaining the Village Health Register on households, data management and reporting
• Responding to other community health needs as appropriate
• Referring emergency medical cases for further care, as needed.

Project Progress

The project has so far raised $2,965 of the $30,000 goal from 16 donors, with 3 monthly donors in 4 months.

Activity Progress

VCTFs launched around Bwindi Impenetrable National Park.

In July 2021, CTPH established 59 Village COVID-19 Taskforces in Kanungu and Kisoro Districts around Bwindi Impenetrable National Park. The first VCTF committee was launched in Buhoma Town Council and opened by the Mayor, Moses Bashaija in presence of the acting District Health Officer (DHO), Kanungu District, Dr Kato Besisira.

Functionalizing the VCTFs

The launch of the project included supporting the establishment of 59 Village COVID-19 Task Force Committees (VCTFs) in 8 Frontline parishes around Bwindi Impenetrable National Park. These Village Covid-19 Task Force Committees are composed of two representatives from the Village Health Conservation Teams (VHCTs), Local Council 1, Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA), the porter’s association, teacher’s representative, religious leaders, and women’s groups. These are key stakeholders in conservation, community and tourism.

They were trained on COVID-19 contact tracing, how to be the link between patients and health centers or hospitals, and on the Ministry of Health home based care guidelines to prevent and reduce COVID-19 transmission in these communities with high human and gorilla conflict.

The CTPH team also delivered items to all the Village COVID-19 Task Force Committees around Bwindi to support their home based care roles. These items included 59 pulse oximeters, 59 infrared thermometers and batteries, gloves, masks and 99 hand sanitizers (220 ml). The committee members were also trained on how to use the equipment properly.  

This critical equipment enables Village COVID-19 Task Force members to carry out their roles in reducing transmission of COVID-19 in the communities bordering Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, whilst also protecting themselves from infection.

The project strengthened the CTPH One Health approach by adding Uganda Wildlife Authority staff and a representative from the porters’ associations to each VCTF committee.

All VCTF members were trained on data collection for Home Based Care and reporting on key indicators, as required by the Ministry of Health.

The establishment of the VCTFs and other community One Health cadres around Bwindi has strengthened the COVID-19 response in the frontline communities around the park, reducing the risk of spread amongst people and from people to the endangered mountain gorillas, the impact of which could be catastrophic for the species as managing infection spread and providing treatment would be very challenging amongst the wild gorilla populations.

At the request of the Ministry of Health (MOH) COVID taskforce, CTPH Founder and CEO, Dr. Gladys Kalema-Zikusoka, gave a presentation about launching 59 Village COVID taskforces in 8 parishes with high human and gorilla conflict as well as other activities including testing park staff, conservation personnel and Gorilla Guardians; training park staff, VHCTs and Gorilla Guardians on COVID-19 prevention among people and from people and gorillas; vaccination information; and testing of gorillas.

We would like to thank all individual donors from GlobalGiving, Wildlife Conservation Network (WCN), the Ministry of Health COVID-19 Taskforce, Uganda Wildlife Authority, Bwindi Community Hospital, Kayonza Sub County, Mpungu Sub County, Buhoma Town Council, Rubuguri Town Council, Nkuringo Town Council, Kisoro District Health Office, Kanungu District Health Office and all our supporters.

Links:

• Visit our website