Nakivale (Uganda) : cardiovascular diseases kill many elderly people

Medical Team International (MTI) wants to curb deaths from cardiovascular diseases in the Nakivale refugee camp in Uganda. This NGO which deals with the health aspect calls on everyone, especially older people, to take tests which are normally free. INFO SOS Médias Burundi

Medical Team International (MTI) has made this appeal after finding that in almost every village there is a case of cardiovascular disease.

The most recent case is the one that occurred two weeks ago.

“It was the morning of Thursday January 12, 2023 when an apostle from New Vision International church passed away. It was a sudden death because he had shown no signs of illness, but suddenly his heart stopped and after examination, medical services revealed that it was acute hypertension, indicates a neighbor.

According to MTI, since 2019, “the number of deaths caused by high blood pressure has increased by more than 30%”.

These deaths are beginning to instill fear among refugees in the Nakivale camp.

“It’s very dangerous because they are sudden deaths, someone sleeps at night apparently in good health and they are found dead the next day”, lament the refugees.

The major cause of high blood pressure is stress, the disease also being hereditary.

“For the case of stress, the disease can be treated through psychotherapy sessions. MTI is doing its best to contain the disease. Every Tuesday and Wednesday, people who suffer from cardiovascular diseases are tested and treated, but the number of deaths continues to increase. Every month, 2 to 5 people die from high blood pressure. It’s alarming!“, underline MTI officials.

The Nakivale camp shelters more than 140,000 refugees, including more than 33,000 Burundians.