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:

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• Data as collected by VCTF committees_Feb 2022 (XLSX)