Many Ugandan mothers don’t know their children’s status on cerebral palsy – Expert

By Ben Musanje

6^th Oct 2022

As Uganda joined the rest of the international community to mark the World Cerebral Palsy Day on Thursday, experts express worry that one to three children in 100,000 new born babies are born with the disease in the country.

Cerebral Palsy is a physical disability that causes abnormal brain development or brain damage and limits a person’s ability to control their muscles by affecting movement and posture and it can impact the body and brain in different ways.

The Head of Special Needs Care at Capital Centre Medical Clinic Bwaise, Dr Ambrose Asiimwe says that in most cases, it becomes difficult for parents to discover that their babies are suffering from cerebral palsy until they visit the health centers.

Asiimwe says that cerebral palsy mostly happens during pregnancy and shortly after child from the mothers lacking enough folic acid.

The Director Doreah Uganda Children’s Home, Doreen Namara says that they admit at least 10 children with cerebral palsy in every academic term and mostly receive them from the district of Wakiso and Mukono and other rural areas.

She however calls on parents to ensure they visit health centers once they detect abnormalities in their children.