Health experts at Mulago National Referral Hospital have raised concern over an increasing number of children developing acute kidney failure as a complication of malaria infection.
The revelation follows the release of results from a nationwide malaria indicator survey conducted by the Uganda Bureau of Statistics (UBOS) on Thursday, which showed that malaria prevalence in Uganda has risen from 9 percent to 13 percent.
According to the report, malaria prevalence remains particularly high among children.
Despite ongoing prevention and elimination efforts, 31 percent of children under the age of five had experienced fever in the two weeks preceding the survey.
The study was conducted in 10,011 randomly selected households and 600 refugee clusters across the country.
Of the children who had fever, 13 percent tested positive for malaria following microscopy tests.
The increase has surprised many health experts, especially following recent interventions such as the rollout of malaria vaccination in several highly affected districts last year, which was expected to reduce infections.
However, hospitals continue to report a steady flow of severe malaria cases being admitted to wards.
At the Dialysis Unit of Mulago Hospital, Moses Odongo, a Senior Nursing Officer, said the facility is now receiving three to four children aged between two and ten years every week requiring dialysis after developing kidney failure due to malaria. He noted that such cases were previously rare.
Odongo explained that the kidney failure cases are typically acute, and while most children recover within about two weeks, treatment remains both costly for caregivers and challenging for health workers.
He added that the hospital currently operates dialysis machines designed for adults, forcing medical staff to improvise when providing dialysis services to children.
Health workers warn that the trend highlights the need for stronger malaria prevention efforts and improved medical resources to manage severe complications among children.
By Our Reporter
16th March 2026
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