Kitgum District has recorded a 4.5 per cent global acute malnutrition rate following a district-wide screening of children under five, pregnant women and breastfeeding mothers amid prolonged food shortages and the effects of drought.
The screening, conducted across all sub-counties, town councils and divisions between January and July 2026, reached 18,836 people, according to Kitgum District Health Officer Dr Henry Otto.
Of those screened, 18,028 were found to be within the normal nutritional range, while 146 had severe acute malnutrition (SAM) and 662 had moderate acute malnutrition (MAM).
Dr Otto says the exercise was expanded to cover the entire district after an earlier screening in Chua East, particularly Namukora and Orom sub-counties, found that 23 per cent of the children screened were malnourished.
The wider screening was conducted with support from the World Food Programme (WFP), following a request made through regional nutritionists, and in collaboration with the Ministry of Health and Gulu Regional Referral Hospital.
Dr Otto says the exercise was also intended to generate baseline information following reports of hunger-related deaths in Karamoja and the worsening food situation in parts of northern Uganda, including Kitgum and neighbouring Agago District.
By URN
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