Amuria District Hit by Malaria Burden, Pilgrim Africa Launches First-Ever IRS Program in Schools

Amuria District in Eastern Uganda is grappling with an alarming surge in malaria cases, prompting an urgent response by health officials and development partners.

In a historic and targeted intervention, faith-based non-governmental organization Pilgrim Africa has launched an Indoor Residual Spraying (IRS) initiative specifically designed to tackle malaria transmission in schools during holidays.

This is the first time Amuria is witnessing such a large-scale IRS campaign, a milestone welcomed by both district leaders and the national health fraternity.

According to Dr. Godfrey Opio, the District Health Officer of Amuria, the IRS program, dubbed the “School Protect Program”, has been introduced as a strategic intervention to fill a long-standing gap in malaria prevention among school-going children aged 6 to 14 years.

“Amuria has been chosen for this program because of the high malaria burden. We have never had an IRS intervention here before,” Dr. Opio said at the launch event.

“Our district has a population of about 251,000, and 40 percent of all patients who report to health facilities test positive for malaria. It’s overwhelming.”

He explained that while national malaria interventions have primarily targeted children below the age of five through vaccination programs, older children, especially those in primary and secondary school, have remained largely unprotected.

“This IRS initiative targets 75 primary schools in Amuria. Spraying will take place during school holidays to avoid disrupting learning. Our aim is to break the cycle of transmission among school-aged children, who make up a significant part of the malaria burden in this region,” Dr. Opio added.

Driven by the critical health statistics and lack of prior IRS efforts in the region, Pilgrim Africa has committed to implementing the project across the district with support from several national and international partners.

Dr. Aboke Yeka, a Board Member of Pilgrim Africa and senior researcher from Makerere University, emphasized the importance of the initiative as part of a broader life-course approach to malaria control.

“This program is supported by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the National Malaria Control Division, the Ministry of Health, Ministry of Education, and of course, the leaders of Amuria District,” Dr. Yeka said.

He highlighted the role of children not only as beneficiaries but also as critical players in malaria prevention efforts.

“Children are not just passive recipients of services, they are ambassadors. They can alert their parents and communities about what they learn and experience. Their voices are powerful tools for awareness,” he noted.

Dr. Yeka also stressed the responsibility of leaders at all levels to ensure that voters and communities understand their rights to health and safety.

Moses Emabu, the Amuria District Local Council Chairperson, described the IRS launch as a long-awaited solution to a crisis that has claimed many lives and complicated pregnancies in the district.

“Malaria is not just a health issue. It has social and economic implications. Pregnant women have suffered miscarriages, and entire families have been destabilized by frequent illness,” Emabu stated.

He explained that the district has previously relied on a test-and-treat approach, referring patients to health centers where they are diagnosed and medicated.

However, the numbers have remained stubbornly high.

“Thanks to Pilgrim Africa, we now have the opportunity to carry out indoor residual spraying in 75 schools. This is a big step forward, especially since our local government does not have the budgetary capacity to finance such an undertaking,” Emabu said.

He confirmed that the exercise had officially begun, taking advantage of the holiday period when students are at home, thus allowing safe and effective access to classrooms and dormitories.

Santa Okot, the Member of Parliament for Aruu County and chief guest at the launch, delivered a passionate call to action, framing the malaria fight as a national emergency.

“The government of Uganda is very serious about eliminating malaria. Statistics show that this disease now kills more Ugandans than HIV or TB, especially children and pregnant mothers,” Hon. Okot remarked.

She painted a stark picture of the toll malaria is taking across the country, citing estimates that suggest 10 children die from malaria every day in Uganda.

“If we are losing about 250 children a month, where is the future of our country? This is no longer just a health issue, it’s a threat to national development,” she said.

The MP urged all Ugandan leaders, from parliamentarians to cultural and religious heads, to rise and mobilize their communities in the fight against malaria.

“Let us take this as a war. We must fight it on all fronts, homes, schools, churches, and health centers. Children should be taught that malaria is a killer disease, and it is our collective duty to stop it,” she emphasized.

The IRS program is not only a health intervention but a social justice initiative aimed at ensuring that no child is left behind in the country’s battle against preventable diseases.

By focusing on schools, the program addresses a critical blind spot in existing national efforts and serves as a model for similar interventions in other high-burden districts across Uganda.

Experts argue that this could mark a turning point in the Teso sub-region’s health outcomes, given that previous malaria programs have mostly focused on households, leaving institutions like schools underserved.

Pilgrim Africa officials have assured stakeholders that all safety precautions will be strictly observed, and that the insecticides used are WHO-approved and safe for use in school environments.

Dr. Opio confirmed that monitoring and evaluation frameworks are already in place to measure the program’s impact over time.

Baseline data on malaria prevalence among school children will be used to assess reductions in infections following the IRS rollout.

“IRS is a game changer for us,” said a smiling district official at the launch. “For the first time, we feel like we are gaining ground in a fight we have been losing for too long.”