Ministry of health trains Mbale city VHTs on epidemic surveillance 

By; Weswa Ronnie 

Mbale: The Ministry of Health, through the Mbale City Health Department, conducted a two-day training for Village Health Teams (VHTs) on epidemic surveillance.

The training, which took place at Mbale Senior Secondary School for two days yesterday Tuesday and today Wednesday, aimed to equip VHTs with skills to handle patients with signs and symptoms of epidemic diseases such as Ampox ,cholera, and Ebola among others.

Moses Mugonyi, the Mbale City Health Officer, led the training, which emphasized the importance of VHTs in identifying and reporting potential epidemic cases.

VHTs are often the first point of contact for patients before they are referred to nearby health facilities.

Mugonyi says the training covered essential skills, including the use of face masks, patient isolation, and reporting cases to nearby health facilities.

Rita Namuwenge, the National Coordinator of the Emyooga program and a hopeful for the Mbale City MP seat in 2026, who was chief guest during the closure of the training urged VHTs to apply their newfound knowledge to prevent the spread of epidemic diseases in Mbale City.

She says that the government is aware that VHTs work under hard conditions with no protective gears like gum boots , masks among others but urged them to be patient soon The government is going to provide them with because they are in plan.

VHTs Suzan Wandeka and Khariate Khamuka expressed their gratitude for the training, acknowledging that they had previously been unaware of how to handle patients with epidemic diseases.

Peter Wandulu, another VHT, requested that Rita advocate for a monthly allowance from the government, considering the crucial work they do without compensation.

The training came after Mbale City was declared Ebola with Ebola by the ministry of health in February, following an outbreak in the area.